Breathe Me
by PolkaMusic
Summary: Reed and Shane are happily together. Something was bound to happen to change that. And when the worst thing that can happen to Reed does, how can he carry on normally? Especially when Shane has no idea what happened. CP Coulter's Daltonverse. Warning:Rape
1. Help

***No the rapist is not freaking Adam. He's made up, but he will come back, just an fyi.***

**Alright so here it is. The darker Rane fic I mentioned I was writing. I want to stress again just how much I would never actually want this happen to Reed.**

**It was all about the angst for me, and even though this was so hard to write, there will be more to come. I promise. **

**So um. I'm sorry Reed! **

**Warnings: I did write the rape scene. I considered skipping it but no. I had to do it. Again I'M SORRY!**

**Don't kill me.**

**Title is based on the song Breathe Me by SIA. **

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><p><em>Help. I have done it again.<em>

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><p>It took guts. It really did. Admitting to yourself that you harbor romantic feelings for someone wasn't necessarily too hard. But telling that person, and in the form of a kiss, that took guts. Guts Reed doubted he even had prior to the moment when he decided to take the jump. And he was eternally thankful he did. Kissing Shane was great. Being with him was even better. And it was so easy he wondered what he had been so scared of.<p>

If he wanted to hold Shane's hand he could, and he could do so without any fear of reciprocation, for Shane would just grin encouragingly and clutch back just as tightly. If he wanted to kiss Shane he could. He could press him up against a wall and kiss the breath out of him… not that he ever actually did such a thing. Blood rose to his cheeks at the thought. He wasn't quite _that _brave yet. But he hoped he could be… someday.

He wasn't naïve. He knew they would have to reach…_ that_ point in their relationship eventually. But he honestly couldn't see that happening anytime too soon. He still wasn't comfortable enough, and Shane seemed adamant on making sure he didn't do anything Reed wasn't completely ready for. Which he was thankful for. He may not be there yet, but he still had time. They'd only been dating a couple weeks after all.

He was thrown out of his thoughts as his foot snagged the root to that giant tree in front of Windsor he always seemed to forget about. He didn't fall very far as there seemed to be something pressing against the other side of the large canvas he was carrying.

"Hello!" a curly head poked out from behind the panting, taking it in his arms as he moved to stand beside Reed. As usual he had shed off his uniform as soon as possible, only wearing the white button down undershirt. Shane would gladly do anything for Reed, and that including transferring to Dalton, but that damn uniform was annoying.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking amused as Reed collected himself, thankful that Shane was there to catch him and he now had his hands free.

"Yes," he replied, freeing his uniform of wrinkles. "Thank you."

Shane grinned. "I'm used to it."

Reed rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "Ha ha."

"So, where are we heading?" Shane asked cheerfully as they continued to walk forward. He skipped ahead and turned around, walking backwards so he could face his boyfriend.

"Art Hall. I have two other paintings there so I was taking this one," he gestured to the canvas in Shane's arms, "there as well, so I could work without Kurt getting testy. He's been complaining about the amount of paint stained things our room possesses."

"I think your paint stained things are cute." Shane was still grinning. "Especially your paint stained overalls you don't let anyone see you in."

Reed could feel his face heat up and he looked to the ground. "Shut up," he said weakly.

Shane laughed. "So do I get to come along? I promise I won't pester you too much."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Do you remember what happened last time?" Reed grimaced, images of a completely wreaked room complete with paint splattered walls and tables filling his mind. It wasn't entirely his fault, Shane was the one who instigated the paint fight.

Shane shrugged loosely. "So we got in trouble, so what?"

Reed stopped walking, staring at him incredulously. "Shane we were banned for a week."

Shane halted as well, grinning again. "So?"

"So I need that place." He sighed looking down. "I can't get permanently banned. Art is –"

"Important to you. I know." Shane's smile now looked genuine. "And I wouldn't do anything to upset you. Or get you in anymore trouble. I'll just walk with you, help set up, and leave you to it. Okay?" He shifted the canvas under his arm, holding the bottom with his fingers while his other hand was outstretched.

Reed smiled and took the hand. "Deal."

He kept their hands linked as they walked the short distance to the Art Hall, talking idly about their day. Shane was smiling down at him brightly and Reed knew he would never get over the way Shane looked at him, like he was the only person on the entire planet.

He helped Reed climb the stairs, making sure he didn't fall, like he always did, and guided him to the appropriate room.

After setting the painting he was carrying on a free stand, he turned back to the small artist. "So when do you expect you'll be done?"

Reed glanced at the celling, looking thoughtful. "I don't know, I have to finish three different paintings so it could take a few hours."

Shane started pouting, looking very much like a dog who just had his treat taken away. "I'm supposed to live through three Reedless hours?"

Reed laughed. "You'll survive."

"Hopefully." Shane smirked, leaning down to brush his lips lightly against Reed's.

Each and every time Shane kissed him Reed could feel the electricity pulsing though his veins. He still saw the fireworks as he did with their first kiss, and always would, no matter how small the kiss was. That was just how Shane made him feel.

Unbeknownst to him, Shane felt everything he did. He pulled back too soon though, and the grin was back.

"Try to hurry, okay?" He squeezed Reed's hand lightly before heading to the door. "I'll miss you." He waited until Reed said, "I'll miss you too" before he disappeared completely.

Reed shook his head, smiling to himself as he faced the painting Shane had been carrying, deciding to start with this one. It needed the most work so he figured he should get it out of the way before he got too tired.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his fluttering heart (just one of the many side effects of Shane's kisses) and focus. Finally able to get his thoughts together, he got to work, trying to drown out Shane and his way of working himself into Reed's mind not matter what he was doing.

He had been working for no more than ten minutes when he was interrupted again. Reed looked up in surprise to find a tall boy with messy dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes blinking at him from the doorway. This boy had, like Shane, shed his blazer, only clad in the white button down, making it impossible to tell what house he belonged to. But Reed knew he had never seen him before. Which was odd for two reasons. The first being that he was generally familiar with everyone who lingered around the Art Hall. And secondly no one was supposed to be lingering around here at all today. He was supposed to be completely alone in the building, so who was this boy and why was he here?

"Oh um… hello," Reed said shyly. "Can I help you with something?"

The boy just continued to stare at him silently.

Reed shifted uncomfortably. "Well it's just that no one's supposed to be in here today..."

The boy's eyebrows pulled together. "Then why are you here? I know who you are. Reed van Kamp, apparent best artist in all of Dalton." He snorted sarcastically. "If you're here, I can be too. What, do you think you have some sort of jurisdiction over everyone else just because you can paint well?"

Reed's mouth was open and his eyes were wide. "No!" he squeaked, stunned by this random outburst.

"Then shut up and mind your business," the boy snapped coldly, striding into the room.

Reed immediately turned back to his canvas, feeling heat spread across his neck. Whoever this boy was, he really seemed to hate him. Reed decided it was best to just stay silent and continue working until this guy had whatever he needed and left.

He tried to ignore the rustling from behind him as the boy continued to search.

It was when he realized he was out of blue paint did the panic start to creep back. He would have to turn around to retrieve more and that meant facing the boy who so obviously detested him.

He swallowed his fear down, telling himself that he was being ridiculous. He didn't need to hide from this guy, and maybe he took his words the wrong way. Maybe he was just irritated that Reed felt the need to ask him questions. Perhaps it was Reed's fault, maybe he came across as too pushy.

He took a deep breath and turned around- and walked straight into a much taller body.

He could only stare in horror as his palette accidently pressed against the larger boy's chest, drenching his white shirt with the colors of Reed's remaining paint.

His voice unintentionally cracked, but before he could get the apology out the boy was shouting, "What the fuck is your problem! Don't you watch where you're going?"

Reed's palette clattered to the floor as he continued to stare, physically unable to do anything else, mortification gripping his muscles. If this boy didn't hate him before, now he sure did.

"I…" he squeaked for the second time that day. "I'm sorry!"

The boy turned on heel and stomped to the door, muttering something under his breath as he went. Reed couldn't be sure but he thought it sounded like, "Not as sorry as you're gonna be."

The mortification was replaced by crippling fear that only increased when he realized the boy wasn't going to the door to leave, he was locking it. When he pulled the blinds down Reed knew he was doomed. This boy was going to make him pay for messing up his shirt, and he was going to do so by beating him to a pulp.

His gulped and started backing away unconsciously.

_Please, let him just beat me up and get it over with. Please don't let it hurt too badly._

When the boy started advancing on him, looking quite menacing, Reed started to visibly shake.

_Oh god, here it comes_

His train of thought stopped when the boy before him lifted his lithe fingers to undo the buttons on his paint splattered shirt. Which Reed thought was odd.

When the shirt fell to the floor, Reed was finally able to find his voice.

"W-what are you doing?" he inwardly flinched at how utterly pathetic and small his voice sounded, no doubt a parallel to how he appeared.

The boy who was now half naked didn't speak, only continued to stare down at him with unfiltered hatred in his blazing eyes. He came to a stop, directly in front of Reed who was now backed into the wall, trapped.

He grabbed onto the lapels of Reed's blazer, hands right over his frantic heart. Every heart beat seemed shattering as the fear tightened its hold on Reed's body.

He was about to attempt repeating his question when the boy jerked his hands apart swiftly, forcing Reed's previously buttoned blazer open. The buttons popped off and were already falling to the floor with soft clinks before Reed realized what had happened. When the blazer was shoved off his shoulders and thrown to the ground, Reed seemed to understand.

With the boy's hand vastly making work of unbuttoning Reed's white undershirt, it set in with firmness. No wonder this guy had taken his paint ruined shirt off, he was going to take Reed's in compensation.

That thought was suddenly seeming sillier and sillier as the panic coursing through his veins increased when the boy finished unbuttoning his shirt but made no move to remove it.

He instead left it open as his eyes narrowed into venomous slits and his hands trailed down Reed's open shirt until they reached the bottom. They lingered there for a moment before dropping to his belt.

Realization was suddenly drowning him as every fiber in his being filled to the brim with unmistakable terror. All it took were those long fingers tugging on his belt buckle and Reed began kicking wildly. He screamed, pounding his fists into any and everything, blinded by the tears that were suddenly flooding in his eyes.

The boy didn't seem too concerned just yet, and he quickly undid the belt despite all Reed's kicking.

"No!" Reed screamed, successfully landing a blind punch right on the other's jaw. "Don't touch me! Let me go!"

He continued shouting until the boy regained himself and punched Reed in the stomach hard, causing him to cough violently. "Stop screaming!"

Reed drew in a jagged breath, eyes swimming. It hurt to breathe and now the boy had successfully pulled his belt off. He knew he had to do something, if not then he knew what this boy would do to him. He knew and he couldn't let it happen. He needed to get out of here and fast.

His thoughts were cut short when the boy dropped his belt, bringing his hands up to grab onto Reed's face, forcing their lips together.

Reed's feet scrapped across the floor as he started struggling against the hold that was lifting him somewhat off the ground, toes barely touching the surface of the floor. This boy's kisses felt nothing like Shane's. Shane's kisses were loving, sweet and gentle, whereas this kiss was anything but. His lips were pressed so hard it was painful, and instead of feeling butterflies, the only thing he could feel was the sheer terror.

He clawed at the other boy's hands, trying his best to get him to let go. Doing the only thing he could think off, he brought his knee up harshly, right where he knew it would send the other boy howling. Using this distraction, he broke away, pushing himself off the wall he began sprinting towards the door.

He was so determined to get out of the room he didn't notice he was running right to where his palette had landed on the floor, smearing the ground with paint. And in the clumsy fashion he was so known for, he slid right over it, sending him crashing to the floor was a painful smack.

He groaned from where he lay face down as the pain radiated from every part of his body. His blood turned cold when he heard chuckling from above him, followed by a satanic voice. "You're really making this way too easy."

He suddenly found himself being jerked around, made to lie on his back while the other boy hovered before him. He seemed to dig in his pocket for something before he moved to painfully sit on Reed's legs, effectively trapping him.

Reed started squirming again, knowing his chances were futile. This boy was so much bigger than he was, and now he was sitting on him. There was no way he was going to get out of this.

The tears started to fall then, they had been building for so long, and his breath became battered by sobs.

"Please," he gasped between chokes, "Please let me go. I'm sorry."

The boy over him seemed to be unaffected by this as he continued to focus. He had brought the belt with him in his left hand and was now working to unbutton Reed's pants. As soon as this was accomplished, he immediately pulled down the zipper.

Reed's wailing became louder at this and his sobbing heavier.

"Please!" he cried, "Please don't do this please!"

The boy's lips twitched as he brought a hand up and sent it backhanding across Reed's cheek. "I told you to stop screaming."

He became quieter, trying to focus on breathing. Every breath hurt and he could barely see through all the tears in his eyes. He started kicking his legs weakly to no avail. He could barely move them.

His crying became louder again when the boy started tugging at his pants.

"Stop!" he screamed. When the boy on top of him had to shift his weight to continue pulling Reed's bottoms off, Reed saw his chance and took it, kicking wilding again and managing to kick the boy right between the legs. He scurried backwards, but unfortunately didn't get very far before the boy grabbed his ankle and jerked him back.

He cried out when the boy punched him in the stomach again. His hand flashed in the light and Reed suddenly realized what he had been digging in his pocket for. A knife.

"Do that again," he began, boring down at him with the scariest expression Reed had ever seen, "And see what happens."

He laid the cold blade of the switch knife against Reed's bare stomach threateningly. And as though trying to make sure the message got across, he quickly slashed it across Reed's side, right above his hip bone. The pain came in a flash of rippling stinging.

Reed cried out again when he felt his skin tear and he could already feel the wetness of the blood. His sobs became thicker when the boy finally managed to jerk his pants all the way off, pulling his shoes off as well, and leaving Reed only in his boxers and the open undershirt.

"Stop," he mumbled as best he could, the sobs taking his voice. "Please stop."

This only seemed to make the other boy grin as he started to undo his own pants.

Reed wailed again, the tears were making it impossible to discern anything and were still falling hot and freely onto his cheeks, making his face wet and sticky.

For a moment the only sound filling the room was Reed's choked sobs. His breath was jagged as he continued to gasp and cry.

When he noticed the other boy's pants were now completely undone he seemed to realize what would happen next. He began screaming, as loudly as his sore throat would let him, praying anyone would hear.

"Help! Help me!" A thought suddenly dawned on him. "Shane!" he screamed the name as loud as he possibly could, ignoring the tearing sensation in his throat. "Shane please!" he continued yelling. "Save me!"

This made the other boy, who had looked irritated at Reed's screams, now laugh a little. "I don't know who Shane is but he isn't going to save you."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Reed knew he was right. But he had to keep trying. Shane was always there to save him, always.

"Shane!" he continued. "Please help!"

The boy just rolled his eyes and slipped his hand into the waistband of Reed's small boxers. This caused him to start screaming again, kicking his legs and trying his best to wiggle his way out.

"Stop! Please! I'll do anything, just please don't!" His voice was so strained it hurt to talk. He was screaming again when he felt the cool air on his now exposed hips. "No! Stop!"

This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. His first sexual experience was supposed to be romantic and special. It was supposed to be with Shane. And now his thoughts turned to that excitable dancer. What would he say if he found out?

"Stop!" he screamed like he was dying, and maybe a small part of him was. He started swinging his arms, hoping to at least land another punch. When he did, the boy on top of him growled, letting go of his boxers, which thankfully weren't yet removed, and grabbed onto Reed's wrists instead, fingers digging in roughly enough to leave bruises.

"Let me go!" he cried, eyes so flooded he couldn't see the boy snarling down at him. "Please, please just let me go. I won't say anything I swear!"

The boy now grunted, tired of this, and released the wrists to slap a hand over Reed's mouth harshly. He pressed the blade in his other hand to the smaller boy's throat tightly. "If you make one more sound, I will slit your throat. Do you understand?"

Reed began breaking down again. With his mouth covered and his nose stuffed it was even harder to breathe as his choking only worsened. He nodded and the boy pulled his hand, which was getting soaked by Reed's tears, back, allowing Reed to gasp for breath.

He tried fighting weakly again but his movements were halted when the boy shifted his weight to grab onto Reed's shoulders and force him to roll onto his stomach. Pain surged through his chest as it connected with the floor.

His button down was pulled harshly from his arms and thrown to the floor. He could feel his wrists being tightly gripped again, but the hands soon pulled away and were replaced with the cool leather of his belt.

Forgetting the threat from earlier, he screamed out again, knowing that once his hands were bound he would have absolutely no chance at escape. Not that he really had a chance before…

Once his hands were secured together, tight enough to make his wrists throb, he could feel the terror washing over his body with a new level of intensity. He knew what would be happening next.

It took him off guard when he was pulled off the floor by his bound arms. He was forced to stand on quivering legs, as his whole body was shaking, for all of two seconds before the boy was behind him, pushing him into the table in the middle of the room.

Breath was knocked out of his lungs as his bare chest collided with the wood of the desk. His arms were still tied behind his back as he was forced to lay with his torso across the top of the table, feet still planted to the floor.

His crying became louder as he felt the pulling on his boxers, his broken sobs echoing off the walls of the room.

All it took was one swift tug and his boxers were down, not all the way off, but far enough for his whole backside to be exposed. It was becoming difficult to breathe again as all he could do was cry.

Over the sound of his sobs he could faintly hear the crinkling of some kind of paper. He knew exactly what that meant. This was real. This was happening. And there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. He was at a total loss of control. All he could do was hope it would be over soon.

And suddenly pain. So much pain ripping through his lower half like wildfire, sending shocks all over his body. He couldn't stop the scream that tore from his throat, no doubt louder than the rest for this was the single most painful thing he'd ever endured. Worse than anything that ever earned him a trip to the hospital, and God knows there were many broken bones and stitches to speak of. But no. This was so much worse than any pain his clumsiness had caused him. And knowing what was causing this; that was like death.

His eyes squeezed shut but a few tears still managed to slide down his cheeks. His chest was constricting and a hollow feeling was consuming his whole body.

With another merciless slam from behind him sending all the agony back tenfold, the reality of the situation was crashing. Why was this happening to him? When did he ever do something so terrible to deserve _this_?

More thrusts brought more pain and his choked gasps rung through the room only ever interrupted by sobs. His crying continued as he tried to think about anything, _anything_ other than what was happening to him. It seemed impossible though, as the only thing his shocked mind could register was the intense pain. He tried to block out what was causing it. But that wasn't working either.

His eyes creaked back open, but he couldn't discern anything through his still falling tears, the art room looking like one mess of watery colors.

He started struggling again, weakly kicking and trying to get his arms to move. He realized this was a mistake when what had to be the back side of the knife was struck against the skin of his back harshly, causing him to scream again. The pain intensified with every strained movement, so he quickly ceased all movement before he was screaming again as nails were scraped painfully down his back followed by the pointed end of the blade.

"What did I say about keeping quiet?" a husky voice asked from behind him. This only caused him to break back down in a fit of sobs.

There were more powerful jerks of the other boy's hips that brought more pain as he seemed completely intent on making this just as horrible as possible for the small, sobbing form on the table.

Reed squeezed his eyes shut again, trying to block out the world around him. His breath hitched as he continued to lie still, now knowing that moving only made it worse. His arms were still bound behind his back and the leather was making his wrists feel raw.

He kept his eyes closed as he doused himself in fantasies, imagining all the things he could have done differently, all the ways he could have stopped this. He tried to get lost in the different scenarios of Shane bursting through the door and, as soon as he realized what was happening, striding across the room to beat the life out of this person who dared to hurt him like this. Then he would rock him back and forth, kissing his tears away and telling him he would be okay, that monster wasn't going to hurt him anymore, it was all over now; his prince had finally come to rescue him.

But he didn't. Shane never came.

And even through all his imagining there was the under layered part of his mind that could still feel everything that was happening to him. All the pain, all the hurt, and all the fear. His tears never stopped falling, making his eyes sting and a lump form in his raw throat. He couldn't stop crying. He couldn't stop any of it.

Finally after what felt like hours, the boy stopped moving, and Reed opened his burning eyes slowly, trying not to think about what the ceasing of movement meant was happening.

It was by surprise that the boy jerked back, pain shocking through Reed's body as he did. He was suddenly pulling on Reed's bound wrists roughly. Cool air was soon breezing over the scalding skin that had been rubbed red by the leather of his belt. There was a sudden jolt of surprise as his back was now struck by the belt harshly. He cried out, back erupting in more pain as the boy continued to leave swollen welts on his skin with every whip of the belt. Reed screamed, feeling like his back was on fire, until the boy finally stopped, dropping the belt to grab a fist full of the strawberry curls, forcing Reed's tortured back to arch painfully. There was a slight stinging on his throat as he realized the blade was now pressed to his neck.

Hot breath was ghosting over his ear, along with the deep voice that accompanied it. "Don't pretend like you didn't like it. You could have easily escaped, that is… if you wanted to." His cruel laugh sent shivers down Reed's spine and a cold feeling of terror washing over his body, especially when he continued. "But if you tell anyone, I will not hesitate to kill you." He pressed the knife into Reed's skin threateningly, only deep enough to draw a straight line of red. "I know who you are, and I know all about you." He quickly flipped him over so that Reed was on his back awkwardly, not quite laying on the table, feet still on the floor. He gave him a brutal punch to the cheek, followed by another hit to his still sore stomach. Reed collapsed onto the floor in a heap of gasps and sobs, struggling to breathe. "Got that, Windsor boy?" He kicked Reed's stomach one last time before turning and striding out of the room, collecting his paint stained shirt from the floor and shoving his arms into the sleeves as he went.

Reed made sure he was gone before he let his weeping commence, reaching down to pull his boxers up with shaking hands. The lump in his throat was making breathing all the move painful as his sobs didn't calm.

It hurt to move. It hurt to think. But still, he had to get to the other side of the room to where the rest of his clothes lay. Deciding that walking would bring too much suffering, he crawled on his hands and knees, trying to ignore the pain that still insisted on making itself known.

He reached his shirt and pants first and swiftly tugged them on, struggling to get the belt he now hated through the correct loops. His shoes came next, but he simply slipped them on, not even bothering with the laces. His hands were shaking so badly he doubted he could even tie them. Every movement sent a flurry of pain jerking through his body.

Crawling over to the wall, he snatched the blazer off the floor, shoving his arms in quickly. When he realized his undershirt was still unbuttoned he hastily fastened a few, only enough to make the shirt appear closed, for his hands had yet to calm down and his tears were making everything blurry and impossible to see.

This proved to be a problem when he started to pick up the buttons that had been ripped from his blazer. Every time he collected a few, they would start spilling out of his trembling hands, clattering back to the floor.

The combination of his sobs and fear were making his whole body shake, and that was making it impossible to hold all the buttons in his hands. He didn't get frustrated when they spilt though, he barely even registered it. He was in a state of shock and disorientation.

He still couldn't believe what just happened to him. That could never have happened to anyone he knew, let alone _him._ That was something from the movies, something you heard about in horrible news reports that you sympathized with but were never really affected by. Something that you knew about but wasn't ever going to happen to you.

But it did happen. And it wouldn't stop replaying over and over again in Reed's mind. All the buttons tumbled out of his hands then as they were instead being wrapped around his legs, which were drawn up to his chest, the action causing bouts of pain.

He started rocking, burying his head into his knees, not bothering to conceal his sobs that bounced off the walls much louder than before, no longer afraid he would be punished for making too much noise.

His chest heaved painfully as it was still quite difficult to breathe properly. His nose was stuffed and his eyes were still stinging but the tears kept falling, and he was completely unable to stop them.

Everything hurt. His body hurt, his head hurt, his soul hurt. It was all too much to take. So he cried. He cried and cried.

He didn't know how long he sat there, rocking and sobbing, but the sun had begun to set, making the sky appear a faint pink color. Somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped someone would walk in, see him there, and help. He needed someone, anyone.

He needed Shane.

But no one came.

He was left alone, crying harder than he ever had in his life, more scared than he'd ever been in his life… more hurt than he'd ever been in his life.

He slowly released his legs that had been going numb and scooped up the buttons, successfully this time, in one hand, his shaking somewhat calmed.

He knew he had to stand then, he had to get out of the building somehow, but it didn't make it any easier.

He clutched onto a side table nearby, using it to haul himself up. The pain returned, tearing through his body like a blade and making him whimper. He gritted his teeth together, trying not to cry out as the pain continued to throb through his whole body. He tried not to think about where it hurt the most.

He drew in a jagged breath, taking a single step forward and squeezing his eyes closed. Walking made it worse. But he had to get out of this room. He never wanted to step foot in this entire building ever again.

So he took a deep breath and began walking, tears welling up at how badly it hurt to do so. Once he was out of the room, he quickened his pace, ignoring every sensation in his body that screamed at him to do the opposite.

White, hot pain flashed when he had to descend the stairs. But he didn't care. He was almost out of this building, and once he was, he would never be coming back.

Finally reaching his destination, he threw the back door open, practically limping as he ran. He stayed in the grass, dancing on the edge of woods, making sure he didn't wander far enough in the open for someone to see. The few bystanders that did see him only gave curious expressions, wondering why he was running, or at least trying to.

Flashes of pain were sparking up his spine, sending wave after wave all through his body. Just moving hurt so incredibly much. It felt like he was reliving the whole thing all over again.

But still, he didn't slow. His half limping sprint stayed in full tack until he eventually reached Windsor house. But he kept going. He went right passed the house, running instead to the back door. He didn't want anyone to see him like this.

At first all he wanted was Shane to come to his rescue, see what had happened and make everything better. But now he didn't want anyone to know. No one could know, _especially_ Shane. What would he say if he found out, what would he think, do? He would probably be disgusted that Reed had allowed something like this to happen to him, that he wasn't strong enough to ward his attacker off. He was probably already so jaded from having to catch and save Reed all the time. Once he finds out someone had done _this _to him… Reed couldn't even think about it. Shane would hate him. He would be disappointed, outraged… revolted.

But worse; what if he thought Reed wanted it? What if he accused Reed of cheating on him since it was utterly all his fault?

And even worse than that; what if Shane didn't believe him?

Reed's stomach began twisting, a nauseating feeling gripping at his gut and churning it. He was starting to feel physically ill. No. No, Shane could _never _find out.

He choked down the new sobs that arose at these thoughts and pulled the door open. After peering into the house and making sure there was no one around, he staggered into the kitchen. He peaked around the corner to where the stairwell waited, leading up into the haven that was his room. Only a couple boys loitered around, do homework or studying. They barely even glanced up when Reed came stumbling into the room, running to and up the stairs.

Going down the steps of the Art Hall had been extremely painful, but ascending the stairs here was even worse. The ripping and tearing sensation was starting afresh and he had to bite down on his lip to keep from crying out.

When he finally reached his floor he broke out into another sprint, ignoring how it felt. He didn't—he _couldn't _think about why it hurt so bad to walk.

He fell against the door, blinded by the once again flowing tears. After a couple seconds of fumbling with the knob, the door flew open and he went tumbling inside, immediately slamming it shut. He was endlessly relieved to see the room empty and vacant, Kurt nowhere in sight.

He stepped forward, his balance wobbly, and walked over to his bed, knowing the pain would decrease as soon as he could sit. This proved to not be entirely plausible for as soon as he sat on ground, the pain amplified.

He cried out, shifting onto his knees and trying to bury the hurt as far down as it could go. He reached underneath his bed, pulling out a small plastic box and turning so that his back was against the footboard of his bed. He let the buttons fall from his hand and onto the carpet.

Shaking fingers removed the lid and began searching through his sewing box, trying to find the right color thread. Once he found it, already attached to a needle, he shrugged his blazer off, turning it over in his hands and trying to determine through the heavy mist in his eyes where the buttons were supposed to go.

He picked up one button, trying to calm his shaking and focus. It wasn't working at all though, as pricks and pokes sent little jabs of pain through his fingers. He knew he was stabbing himself more than actually sewing, but the tears wouldn't stop. And neither would the trembling.

He was soon lost in another fit of hysterics, sobbing roughly, but trying to keep it together. He was failing miserably as the choking began.

This couldn't have happened to him. Why _him?_ Why?

The scene kept replaying in his mind, over and over, just like a horror movie in an old VCR. Play, pause, rewind, play, pause, rewind. But this was no horror movie. This was real. The constant memory of the other boy's laugh, his face, his scent, his _grunting_, that was real. The reminder of everything that had happened in the form of the pain radiating from _there _was also real. And the throbbing on his battered back from the beating he received afterwards that accented the threat that was made after… that was real too.

He squeezed his eyes shut, rocking slightly on his knees, trying to block it all out. To _make it stop. Please make it stop!_

His eyes flew open and he jolted a bit in surprise when the door suddenly opened. Panic caused his watery eyes to widen when the only thing he could make out from the blurry vision of the person who had entered was black curls.

_Oh God no. Not him. Anyone but him._

"Oh Reed, there you are. What –"

The voice stopped immediately. But that voice wasn't the familiar tenor of Shane's. It was still deep though, but could only belong to the dancer's brother.

Blaine gasped. Taking in the image of Reed, sitting on his knees and attempting to sew buttons back onto the blazer in his hands. His eyes were red and puffy with cheeks soaked by tears to match. His nose was leaking as well but his shaking hands made no move to whip his face clean. His whole body was trembling and he looked about two seconds away from a complete breakdown. If he wasn't having one already. Blaine could hear his choked sobs from across the room. He could also detect a small trail of blood dripping down his neck.

"Oh my god," he gasped again, rushing to sit in front of him, peering down with every ounce of concern he was capable of. "What the hell happened to you?" Reed didn't answer, looking down to the floor, letting more cries escape his lips. "Were you attacked? Did someone beat you up?" He stayed silent, only continuing to cry. "Reed please! You have to talk to me!"

He reached a hand out to touch Reed's shoulder gently in what was supposed to be comforting manner. Reed appeared to not have taken that way, as he screamed, throwing Blaine's hand off violently.

Blaine stared in shock. That's when he noticed the large, red stain soaking through the side of Reed's white button down, above his right hip. He gasped again and then noticed something that should have been immediately obvious. His button down wasn't exactly buttoned. Only a couple were fastened and the ones that were weren't in the correct holes, making the shirt bunched up and uneven. He also noted the belt that wasn't even clasped together and had missed quite a few loops, both things obviously done in haste and indifference.

He could feel his jaw fall open as everything started to click into place. The weeping, the shaking, the fear, the blood, the clothes. He looked up into Reed's glassy brown eyes, which were filled to brim with terror, silently begging him to figure it out and to remain oblivious to it all at the same time.

"Reed." The shock was making it impossible for him to feel any anger. Not until he knew for sure… "Reed, tell me what happened."

Strawberry blond curls went flying as he shook his head frantically, looking more scared than Blaine had ever seen him.

"Reed!" Blaine laid his hands on the other boy's shoulders, silently cringing when Reed winced and tried to wiggle his way out of Blaine's grasp. "Reed calm down! I'm not going to hurt you! But you have to tell me who did!"

"No!" Reed screamed, looking terrified. "No! Don't touch me! Let me go!"

That was enough for Blaine. Fury rushed through his veins, but he had to bottle it down. He didn't want to scare Reed even more.

He dropped his hands and waited until Reed's sobs had somewhat calmed down. He was still gripping onto the needle, and when Blaine saw the red liquid dripping from his palm, he gently pulled his wrist, opening his fingers and taking the needle away.

"Reed," he whispered gingerly, swallowing nervously. "Reed… were you… were you raped?"

He doesn't miss how Reed visibly flinches at the word and how his face scrunches up in pain as the crying gets harder.

That confirmed it then. Blaine had to clench his fists to keep the rage in.

"I'm sorry!" Reed cried out. "I'm so sorry! I didn't want to do it I swear! I would never!" he gasped, looking choked. "I begged him to stop over and over but he wouldn't listen! I'm sorry…"

Blaine set his jaw, gritting his teeth to stop his lip from quivering, anger and anguish making his eyes flood and spill over.

"It's okay," he said and he could physically feel the grief in his voice. "It wasn't your fault."

Momentarily forgetting Reed's reaction to being touched, he threw the sewing box out of the way, closing the distance between them and wrapping Reed in his arms so he could comfort him as much as possible.

The smaller boy cried out as the sudden movement sent pain shocking through his system. Blaine began whispering sweet nothings, rubbing his back as he cried into his chest, Reed's arms gripping onto the dark hair boy's blazer.

As soon as his hand trailed over the sobbing boy's back, he cried out again, hands tightening their hold. Blaine's eyebrows drew in and he glanced down at Reed's back, now noticing the red stains that dotted along the white fabric.

He gently lifted Reed out of his arms. "What happened to your back?"

Reed just shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Can I see?" Blaine looked so devastated and Reed felt guilt at the sight. All of this was his fault. He was causing all this distress to his friend. All because he was too weak to fight…

He went to unbutton the shirt, now seeing just how off he'd been with the buttons. No wonder Blaine had figured it out. It was quite obvious.

He let the shirt slip from his shoulders and onto the floor, trying to block out all the fear and images of when he was last disrobed.

Blaine's eyes scanned over his chest and stomach, noting everything seemed okay there, aside from the deep red skin right above his belly button that was no doubt beginning to bruise and the slash on his hip that was still dripping blood.

Reed was fidgeting his hands, twisting them nervously with his eyes sealed shut. Blaine knew how hard it must be to be sitting in front of someone, half naked after what just happened to him.

He noticed something else Reed's shirt had been hiding; his wrists. They were red and chafed, and there were spots of blood seeping through the blisters. Someone had obviously bound his hands. Blaine clenched his teeth closed, feeling the anger return. But he swallowed it down. He couldn't focus on that right now.

He gently took Reed into his arms again so that he could get a peek at his back. What he saw made the anger come flowing back with abundance.

Blood was leaking out of no less than ten swollen welts that lined his back. Through them all he could vaguely make out red scratch marks, left by what could have only been another pair of fingernails.

To keep from shouting a curse, he bit down on his lips so hard he could taste the coppery tang of blood. Somebody— no, some _animal_ (for what kind of human being could this to another?) had actually _whipped_ him with something thick, and it was done hard enough to draw blood.

He could feel Reed breaking down against him, and he settled on patting his friend's hair, trying to calm down and force the red to leave his vision. He had never been this angry in his life. Even with Logan. Nothing Logan ever did to him even came close to how this made him feel.

That's when he realized something. He lifted Reed up again, taking notice to the look of pain Reed sported each time he had to move. When he figured out why, the red returned to his sight.

"Reed." He said with firmness, trying not to sound too harsh but at the same time press the importance of his next words. "Reed you have to tell me who did this."

He sobbed, shaking his head again. "I can't," he whispered, voice sounding broken.

"You have to! Don't you get it? If you don't tell me he could do this to you again!" Reed wailed at that, shaking harder and hugging himself. "He could do this to Kurt! To anyone! You can't let him get away with it!"

"I don't have a choice!" he cried. "He told me he knows everything about me. He said he'd kill me if I said anything!"

Blaine growled to himself, looking down.

"Besides," Reed whispered, lips quivering. "I don't even know who he is."

Blaine's brows pulled together. So this was just some stranger. Some random person who came into Reed's life just long enough to turn it upside down, to ruin it. He clenched his fists again, wishing with all his might that he knew just who the stranger was.

He sighed instead, calming down for Reed's sake. He reached for his hand, holding it for comfort.

"Come on, we have to take you to the hospital wing."

Reed's hand flew back so fast you'd think Blaine's hand was made of fire.

"No!" he screamed, eyes widening to display every ounce of panic he felt. "Don't you get it? Nobody can know about this! Nobody!"

"But," Blaine began to protest. "What about STD's? What if you're hurt…" He remembered the look of pain that flashed across those brown eyes every time he had to move. He could understand why. And it made his blood boil.

Reed shook his head, looking to the floor and hiding beneath his hair, embarrassed by what he had to say. "No." he squeaked. "No he… he wore a… a…" His voice broke off, unable to finish the sentence as the sobs left him unable to speak.

Blaine's lips formed a tight line, jaw tensed.

_How thoughtful_, he thought sarcastically.

He stared at the ground, trying to get his anger in check. He was still unable to fathom it. How could this happen to Reed of all people? Who on Earth had so much evil consuming them they would do something like _this _to _Reed. _Why did this have to happen to him? He was probably least equipped to handle something like this. But that was probably what drew the monster in. His vulnerability.

Blaine closed his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. "Reed, I know you're scared, but we have to tell someone."

This caused Reed's head to snap back up, eyes wide with terror. "No! No Blaine please! We can't tell anyone! He'll find out and he'll kill me!"

"No he won't." Blaine tried to reassure, but he could tell it had no affect at all on the panicked boy.

"Yes he will! Nobody can know, please!" He looked desperate. "And that goes for everyone! None of them! Nobody, especially Sh- Sh –" He couldn't bring himself to say the name.

Blaine still understood but was confused as to why. "But why not? Why would you want to hide this from him?"

Reed now turned frantic. "Don't you know what he'll think of me? What he'll say?" his voice broke. "He'll think I wanted it…"

Blaine's eyebrows rose in surprise. "No Reed he would never –"

"Promise!" Reed screamed, cutting him off. "Promise me you won't tell!"

Blaine bit his lip, eyes swimming. He knew they needed to tell someone _anyone._ But he also knew he shouldn't force Reed to do anything, especially with what just happened. Not as long as he expected Reed to trust him.

He knew it had to be his decision. Reed had to be completely in control, now that the control over one of the most critical points of his life was taken in such a way.

Every fiber in his being told him that he needed to get Reed help, tell someone. But the look the smaller boy was giving him, so terrified, so scared, lost, hurt, helpless and desperate made Blaine's perspective change. He couldn't bear to hurt him any further.

So he whispered the two words he knew he would regret sometime in the future.

"I promise."


	2. Terrors

**Thanks for all your kind words about this. I know it's really... you know... hard. But thanks so much for reading and reviewing. It means a lot.**

**And yes Reedafur, you are exactly right.**

* * *

><p><em> I have been here many times before<em>

* * *

><p>Reed visibly relaxed at the words he needed to hear more than anything.<p>

"Do you swear?" He had to be sure. He couldn't risk Shane finding out. It was the worst possible thing he could imagine happening.

Blaine swallowed, nodding. "I swear." He looked conflicted though, as if he wasn't sure he should be saying this. He paused. "But you have to promise me something in return."

Reed tensed. "What?" he asked, voice still sounding so small.

Blaine set his jaw, looking into Reed's eyes with intent, set on getting his message across. "If you see him again, or if what happened has bad repercussions on your health, or something bad happens to you, _tell someone. _Get help. Understand?"

Reed looked a little unsure, but Blaine's hard, determined expression didn't falter. "Okay." He whispered reluctantly. "I promise."

Blaine, seemingly satisfied, leaned back, content in Reed's answer. For now.

"Good. Now," he wiped his palms on his pants, trying to keep his mind from traveling back to the dark place that meant rage boiling up for whoever did this. Getting angry would help no one. He needed to tend to Reed. "Come on. If you're not going to let me take you to the hospital wing, at least let me try to fix you up."

"I don't need fixing up." Reed said, voice strained and hoarse. All the crying really took its toll. But it seemed for now that he had calmed down. Fat tears were still rolling down his cheeks but he was no longer choking for breath and sobbing loudly.

"Yes. You do." Blaine said with finality. He stood and extended an arm.

Reed just stared at the hand like he didn't know what it was.

"Reed, come on."

He shook his head, glancing up at Blaine with wide eyes that were beginning to fill back up. Blaine pursed his lips. Just when he thought Reed was going to calm down…

"Reed, please get up," he urged, wishing the other boy would comply so he could put something on the gash on his hip that was still bleeding.

Reed's lips started to quiver as he continued to stare up at Blaine pleadingly, his large eyes silently begging him to understand. When he only continued to peer down at him expectantly, Reed knew he would have to say it.

"I... I don't want to stand up," he confessed, hanging his head to look at the floor.

Blaine's brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about? Why not?"

Reed kept his gaze locked on the carpet, not daring to glance back up when he mumbled, "Hurts too much."

Standing for first time after the incident was brutal, but now that he'd stupidly decided to _run_ back to Windsor, and dealing with two different sets of stairs... That had only done more damage. And Reed could feel the burning even as he sat on his knees.

Blaine's expression went stoic. He immediately understood. The anger and anguish were battling again, both because he honestly had no idea how anyone could ever hurt _Reed_. And especially in this way. He took a calming breath.

"I know it hurts. But would you rather sit here and have to explain to Kurt and Shane," Blaine doesn't miss how Reed flinches at his brother's name. "why you're battered and bloody?" He wouldn't actually oppose to this. In his opinion, Shane needed to be told. But it was Reed's decision. And if he didn't want to tell him, he shouldn't be forced.

Reed nodded to himself. He knew Blaine was right. He had to stand up eventually. But he knew it would hurt so badly. And the pain that radiated from that one certain area would be the constant reminder that what happened wasn't just a dream. There were other places on his body that throbbed as well, but this was by far the worst.

"Alright," he whispered, finally reaching up and taking Blaine's hand.

The taller boy immediately leaned forward to grab onto Reed's other arm as well, keeping him balanced and giving him support as he lifted him off the ground slowly. He could see Reed's eyes swimming with fresh tears before they were forced shut, whole face scrunching up to display the pain he felt.

He could only imagine how Reed was feeling. He was sure it would hurt anyone, but someone Reed's weight and size… and then being forced in such a merciless way. He had to clench his jaw, forcing those thoughts out of his head to keep the anger at bay.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern once they were both standing up straight.

Reed only nodded in response, keeping his eyes closed.

"Come on," Blaine said, dropping one of Reed's hands and guiding him to the bathroom. He didn't mind Reed's slow pace, only putting an arm around him to help support his wobbling.

When they finally entered the room, Blaine let go, allowing Reed to lean against the counter while he searched through the cabinet. He knew Reed kept a medical kit in his and Kurt's bathroom for reasons that should have been obvious.

He finally found it, pulling it out and laying it on the sink. He turned back to Reed, who had his arms across his chest, appearing to be very uncomfortable standing there without a shirt on. Blaine could understand why.

"Can," Reed begins, but his voice cracks. "Can I take a shower or something first. I feel…"

Blaine doesn't need him to say it. He knows Reed feels disgusting. He just wished he would realize it wasn't his fault.

"Yeah, that's fine." He figures getting the bandages wet as soon as he puts them on wouldn't be such a good idea anyway. Plus he didn't want Reed to feel uncomfortable anymore. Not that this would change much… "Do you want to take a shower or a bath?"

He couldn't imagine Reed standing long enough to actually get anything done. So it surprises him when Reed answers, "Shower."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Reed looks at the ground, feeling so very embarrassed for having to tell Blaine all of this. "I don't think I could stand lying on my back for too long." He leaves out how he also doesn't think he could take sitting on the hard marble glass of the bath tub either, but somehow he thinks Blaine gets it.

"Oh." He says simply once he realizes. "Yeah. Okay. I'll just go get your pajamas then."

He leaves the bathroom, going straight to Reed's closet and searching through until he found the silky light blue pajamas Reed was always so fond of. They were too long for him and that was perfect. He knew Reed would only want to wear loose fitting clothing due to all the injuries he sustained.

After grabbing a pair of boxers he spotted something on the floor. Right in front of Reed's bed where he left it lie his white undershirt, the back and right of corner of which was still stained red with blood. He picked it up, not knowing what Reed would want to do with it, and carrying it along.

When he reentered the bathroom he wasn't very surprised to see Reed standing there in the exact same spot, appearing to have not even moved an inch. He knew Reed wouldn't even begin to undress when he knew Blaine would be coming back in the room.

"Here," he laid the pajamas on the counter before turning to hand Reed the blood stained shirt. "I didn't know what you wanted to do with this." He said awkwardly as he handed it over.

Reed looked at the shirt with disdain, letting it barely hang off his fingertips. He stayed silent for so long, just staring at the piece of clothing that Blaine started to shuffle his feet nervously. He opened his mouth to say something _anything_ to break the silence but Reed's small voice cut him short.

"Can you please leave now?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Blaine walked to door. His hand was on the knob when he turned back to look at Reed who was still staring at the shirt. "I'll be right outside waiting so just call if you need something." He hesitated. "And Reed." The brown eyes finally blinked up at him and Blaine could tell the swollen red patch on his cheek was beginning to bruise too. "I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened to anyone, especially you. You don't deserve it."

He disappeared, shutting the door securely behind him. He didn't want to see Reed's reaction to that; he didn't want to see him cry again.

Reed just stood there, feeling his burning eyes begin to water again.

_Gosh, _he thought irritably, _how many times can a person cry in one day?_

He limped to the door, locking it immediately. It wasn't that he thought Blaine would actually come in, but he wasn't going to chance it. As long as he could help it, no one was going to be seeing him undress for a very long time.

He avoided the mirror, instead looking to his feet as his hands began shaking again when they reached down to pull the belt out of the few loops he had actually managed to get it through. He threw it the floor, not wanting to touch it any longer than necessary. He knew what came next. He had to push every thought he had about the last time he felt tugging on his pants completely out of his head and remind himself that it was only him in the bathroom. No one was here. No one was going to hurt him. He was alone. Completely alone. And even though that realization sort of stung, knowing he had to go through this all by himself, he allowed it comfort him just so he could finish undressing.

He pretended not to notice the deep crimson stains that were visible on his underclothes that were in such a position they couldn't have come from the gash on his hip. He closed his eyes, still clutching the trousers and underwear. He had to force those thoughts from his head. He couldn't dwell on things like this. He knew it had to be really bad if he was hurt enough to actually bleed, but he wouldn't let himself think about it. Thinking about it only meant reliving it.

Slowly opening his eyes, the clothes slipped from his hands and to the floor the second he caught a glimpse of his image in the mirror. The word awful didn't quite do justice to how he looked. Broken seemed a better fit as his whole face was blotchy complete with the red shot eyes. There were trails of snot and tears streaking his skin from all the crying he did. He could see the small line of scarlet that dripped down his neck, instantly reminding him of

_Don't pretend like you didn't like it_

The tears immediately sprung back to his eyes.

_You could have easily escaped… if you wanted to_

He had to bite down harshly on his lower lip to keep the whimpers in. After all, he didn't need Blaine worrying or asking questions. But then

_If you tell anyone, I will not hesitate to kill you_

Releasing his lip, he slapped his hands over his mouth to conceal the sobs that were slipping passed. He could feel his chest heaving painfully, the redness on his stomach causing definite bruising, but he could do nothing to stop it. It hurt so much. Not just his beaten body, but everything. The act was bad enough, but why did he have to keep _remembering? _Wasn't once enough?

He quickly grabbed a tissue, scrubbing the blood off his neck, barely even registering the stinging on his throat this caused.

He turned away from the mirror then, no longer wanting to see the shell of a person staring back that was supposed to be him, and turning on the water. He knew he probably shouldn't make the water so hot for his injuries, but he wanted every trace of _him _off his skin. And maybe if he was lucky, the water would be hot enough to peel his skin off completely so he would never have to feel the ghosts of _his _touches that still lingered, the feeling of the fingernails scratching at his skin.

He hands idly slid down to graze the swollen lines on his hips that had been hidden by his pants, too low for Blaine to have seen. He could still feel those long fingers gripping onto his hips tightly before sending long scratch marks over them.

His hands jerked back.

_Stop thinking about it stop thinking about it stop thinking about it_

He drew in a broken breath, trying to erase all the images from his mind.

The water was scalding when he finally stepped in, but that's exactly how he wanted it to be. It stung and pricked at the welts on his back and wrists, but he sucked it up. He had to get the scent, the feel off.

Blaine was right to be concerned. It did hurt standing like this, but he just knew sitting down would hurt even worse. He bite his lip again, letting the water soak through his hair, completely drenching his face and washing all the tears away, and tried to forget about the pain. He just hoped the bleeding stopped soon… What was he supposed to do if it didn't? How would he be expected to explain _that_ without giving it away.

_Stop thinking about it stop thinking about it stop thinking it_

He had to chant to himself again before he reached out for the shampoo.

Blaine's teeth were chattering from where he waited on Reed's bed. After he packed up all the sewing material and put the box back under his bed, folding the blazer and laying it on the blanket, still lacking buttons (Blaine had no idea how to sew), he didn't have anything else to do.

He teeth were clattering from the force to keep it all bottled inside. If he acted on all the rage and affliction he felt it would only do more harm than good. And he knew Reed needed him to be strong. He would probably blame himself even further if he saw Blaine becoming so riled up over this.

But how could he not be? Someone had just _raped _one of his best friends. If he'd been beaten up that'd be one thing. It'd still be horrible and infuriating, but it would be different. This was _so much worse. _This was someone, some stranger, forcing their way onto him, solely with the purpose of causing pain, mental, physical, and emotional.

He rubbed his hands over his legs nervously, wondering how in world he planned on helping Reed as much as possible while also keeping it hidden from everyone else. He knew they shouldn't though. They should tell someone, especially Shane. But Reed didn't want to. And Blaine wasn't about to force him to do something else against his will.

But still, he couldn't help but inwardly cringe as he listened to the falling water from the shower. He knew that as soon as Reed washed away any evidence or DNA the chances of finding out who did this went down the drain with it. But what could he do? He very well couldn't drag Reed, kicking and screaming to the hospital wing or police station. This had to be his decision. And he knew if this had happened to him he'd want to get clean as soon as possible too.

His hands were shaking with the effort to keep it all concealed. He had to remain composed and placid. For Reed's sake.

Reed's hands were shaking as well. The burning water was making his injuries throb even harder. He couldn't even scrub his skin too roughly.

When the dizziness came after rinsing his hair free of conditioner, he knew he had to sit down. He was beginning to feel the churning nauseating feeling twisting in his stomach again.

Shutting off the water, he grabbed the white fluffy towel from the hanger, wrapping it tightly around his sore body as he stepped out. Patting his skin lightly, he attempted to dry off and get dressed. He only made it as far as putting on the small the black boxers he was embarrassed to realize Blaine had seen before the nausea took a deadly turn to full on sickness.

He barely made it to the sink before the bile was rushing through his throat, spewing from his lips with gasps and wheezes. He retched into the sink, throat burning from the acid as the contents of his stomach were forced out.

Blaine could hear the gags and heaving through the door and his face scrunched up in concern.

"Reed?" he called out softly, tapping on the door. "Are you alright?"

He hoped Reed regurgitating didn't have anything to do with a side effect of any injuries. Somewhere tugging on the back of mind was that annoying reminder that Reed needed a doctor.

"Yes," came the weak voice a couple of seconds after Blaine asked the question. He could hear the water running again and he assumed Reed must be brushing his teeth.

"Are you sure?" He was unable to keep the worry out of his voice. Reed was in there hurting and he was the only person who knew why. It made him feel immensely guilty.

Reed looked in the mirror in disgust after brushing his teeth. His eyes were still red and swollen but at least his face was clean. He could now clearly see the puffy patch on his cheek that was beginning to color. Great. How was he supposed to hide that? At least the cut on his neck was so small it wasn't even noticeable with all the blood wiped off.

He turned away, no longer wanting to see his unrecognizable reflection, instead putting on his pajama top. When it came time for the pants he hesitated. Pulling them on would probably hurt just as badly as taking the other pair off.

He eyes then drifted to where his brown uniform khakis lay on the floor right where he dropped them earlier, the scarlet stains still clearly discernible.

His head jerked away, looking instead to his silky pajama bottoms. He grabbed them, stuffing his feet through and tugging them up as quickly as possible, ignoring the new wave of pain that set his whole backside on fire.

But he crossed the room to where the clothing lay, snatching it up without another look at the bloody pants or shirt and stuffed them into the garbage can. He didn't care if they were school issued. There was no way he was keeping them. As an afterthought he dropped the leather belt in the trash as well.

After waiting for over a minute with no answer Blaine was starting to get worried.

"Uh, Reed? Please say something."

The door opened then, revealing the smaller boy fully dressed in his blue sleepwear, hair still dripping wet. He appeared fine… physically. But Blaine could see the void look in his eyes, like the spark of life had been drawn from him, his face completely blank.

"What?" his voice matched his expression. Empty.

"Can I come in now?" he tried not to show his nervousness. He was so terrified he'd say the wrong thing and it would send the other boy into a crying fit. "We might want to get the bandages on before Kurt comes back. He should be here anytime now."

Reed's eyes widened slightly. He'd forgotten about Kurt.

"Okay," he whispered, stopping short when he noticed something peculiar in Blaine's hand. "Why are you holding a pillow?"

Blaine looked to the blue pillow he had taken off Reed's bed. It had been an act of thinking ahead. "Because, if you're going to be on the counter while I try to bandage you I figured you could use something to sit on." He shrugged, still staring at the pillow. He didn't want to see Reed's reaction. He knew this was extremely embarrassing for him.

"Oh." Reed said quietly and Blaine could hear the shame in his voice. "Right. Well thanks."

This made him even more aware of the burning pain he was trying so very hard to ignore. He looked at floor, crossing his arms over his chest in discomfort as Blaine laid the pillow on the counter. He then looked back at the smaller boy, patting the cushion in a welcoming gesture.

Reed walked over slowly, staring the counter with confliction in his eyes.

Blaine could see the problem. It would probably hurt to climb up.

He wasn't about to make Reed go through that. So he did the only solution he could think of. He grabbed Reed by the sides, carefully minding his back, and lifted him up, sitting him down as gently as he could. Despite that he still saw the pained look flash across the other boy's face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, trying to keep calm when the anger flared back. He hated whoever did this with every being of his soul, whoever hurt Reed so bad he couldn't even sit down.

Reed just nodded, keeping his head down. This was all so humiliating. But at least Blaine was thoughtful enough to bring him something to sit on. Sitting on pillow was painful enough, he couldn't imagine sitting on the hard marble of the counter.

He kept staring at his lap as he heard Blaine opening the medical kit that had been left by the sink.

"Hand me your wrists," Blaine commanded softly, trying to keep his voice light and easy.

Reed held out his hand, suddenly noticing how damaged it looked when Blaine pushed his sleeves up to reveal his blistered wrist. He never really noticed much before, what with all the tears in his eyes.

There was a cooling sensation breezing over the raw skin as Blaine put medicine on as gingerly as possible. He wrapped a white bandage over the affected area before grabbing hold of Reed's other hand to do the same.

Reed sat, staring at the floor, trying to think about anything except what Blaine was thinking about him. He was also working hard at keeping _it _out of his mind. He couldn't think about that, especially now. What would Blaine say if he started to break down in front of him _again?_

He was lost so deep in thoughts of keeping his head clear he didn't notice Blaine had finished wrapping up his left wrist and was now moving on the his hip.

He didn't snap out of it until he felt the tugging on his shirt, Blaine's hands lifting it up. He screamed out, trying to back away and swatting at the hand, terror creeping back into his system.

"Reed!" Blaine said stunned and stepping back. "It's just me! I'm not going to hurt you I swear."

Reed blinked up at him, screaming stopping instantly. He swallowed, looking scared and disoriented. "I-I'm sorry."

Blaine shook his head. "Don't be. It's my fault." He took a tentative step forward, reaching back out. "I'm going to look at your hip now, okay?"

Reed nodded, choking back more annoying tears. He didn't want to cry in front of Blaine again. He had already freaked out a countless number of times.

Blaine didn't seem to mind though. He bandaged Reed's hip with a blank face, relieved to see the bleeding had stopped. He still had to put something over it though. Thankfully it wasn't deep enough to require stiches but it did need the proper protection.

After he finished, he stepped back awkwardly. Reed was picking at the bandages on his wrists, looking completely vacant.

"You know," he finally spoke, barely even audible. "It looks like I slit my wrists." His eyes were much like his voice, completely lacking emotion.

This caused worry to flutter down through Blaine's stomach. Why would he say something like that, and so nonchalantly? He discreetly leaned forward, trying to look into Reed's downcast eyes.

"Why would you say that?" When he received no answer, he continued, trying to keep his voice level and push all the awkwardness out of the sentence he was about to say. "Look um, about that. Reed I know that when something like this happens, a lot people will turn to uh… drastic measures and um…"

Reed was looking up at him now, disbelief plastered all over his face. "Blaine," he interrupted the other's stammering, "You can stop. I'm not going to hurt myself. I do that enough already."

Blaine nodded, feeling a little relieved. He didn't know how much he could rely on Reed's words when he was like this but he hoped he meant what he said. If Reed was suicidal then it didn't matter how much he begged him not to, he would _have _to tell somebody.

But at least for now it seemed as though that wasn't the case. He sincerely hoped it never would be.

He shook the thoughts away, he had to focus on fixing Reed's injuries. They were pressed for time after all, but at least there was only one thing left to do.

"Come on," he held out his hand for Reed to take. "I'll help you down."

Reed clasped onto the outstretched hand, Blaine immediately offering his other as well, as he helped lift the small boy off the counter. His tears became heavier at the action but remained in his eyes, unshed. Blaine felt a sharp pang of guilt.

Once Reed was safely on the ground, Blaine had to swallow his nerves down. He didn't want to ask Reed to undress again, but he didn't see a way around it.

"Um," he began, trying to keep his voice steady. "Can you please take your shirt off, turn around, and lean against the counter."

Reed's eyes widened with panic. He could freshly remember the last time he was forced to lean against something with his shirt off. He could still feel the breath being knocked from his lungs, his hips being gripped and scratched, the pain, as if it were happening all over again…

Blaine's eyebrows drew in as worry began to settle in his stomach. Reed was staring out into nothing, face frozen in horror. He was confused. All he wanted to do was put medicine on his back. When the tears finally spilled over, dripping down his cheeks, Blaine knew he had to snap Reed out of it.

"Reed?" He called, receiving nothing. "Reed!" He walked over to him, putting his hands on his shoulders and shaking him without much force.

This caused him to snap out of it. He came to, screaming and hitting his attacker as hard as could.

"Get off of me! Let me go!"

Blaine stumbled back, rubbing the place on his jaw where Reed had landed a punch, completely shocked.

"Reed! It's just me! Blaine!"

He watched as Reed's eyes popped open, staring at Blaine in a shocked daze.

"W-what just happened?" he asked, voice small and shaky.

"I don't know," Blaine answered, but he didn't like it. He didn't want that to be happening again. But why did it happen? All he did was ask Reed to… It clicked then. That must have been how it happened, with Reed leaning over something. His muscles tightened.

_Stay calm. Stay calm. _He reminded himself. _This is no time for him to see you get angry._

"Reed," he said sighing, dreading what he was about to say. "We have to get you help."

The brown eyes widened again and Blaine could see betrayal amongst the panic. It made his throat tighten.

"What? No!" he shouted frantically. "I don't need help Blaine I'm fine!"

Blaine's voice hardened. "Reed, you're a lot of things right now but fine is not once of them." Reed closed his mouth, staring at the floor, unable to retaliate. Blaine continued. "I don't know much about this." The crime TV shows he did see weren't exactly helpful with dealing with the victim, only catching the perpetrator. "You need someone who does."

"No I don't." Reed said keeping his eyes locked on the floor, no emotion in his voice.

"Yes you do!" Blaine wished he could make him see that. "What if that happens again when we're around other people? When you're with Shane?"

Reed looked up then, a determined look upon his face. "It won't." He said simply, completely intent on keeping in control from now on.

Blaine sighed. "You don't know that. It doesn't seem like you can control them." He sighed again when Reed's set expression didn't change. "I'm worried about you too you know." This made him blink in surprise. "And not just emotionally. You think I don't notice the look you get every time you have to move? Reed you can't even sit down. What if something's… wrong?"

Reed's expression stoned. "Nothing is wrong." His voice was uneven and he knew he wasn't making a good case for himself. He didn't dare tell Blaine about the blood. He would definitely force him to get help then. But as far as he was concerned that wasn't very important. The bleeding would stop eventually.

"But you don't know that! You can barely walk!" His distressed yelling stopped as soon they heard a door slam shut.

They both started at the bathroom door, Blaine in shock, Reed in horror.

"Reed?" a voice called out, emanating from the bedroom. Reed relaxed somewhat, relief washing over him in spades. That high pitched countertenor could only belong to Kurt. He didn't exactly want to face Kurt right now but at least it wasn't Shane. He wasn't sure how he'd ever be able to look him in the eye again knowing what he had done.

Blaine held a finger up to his lips, signaling for Reed to remain quiet. He had nothing to worry about though, Reed could barely even move.

"I don't see him anywhere." Kurt's voice continued, obviously talking to someone.

The panic returned. What if Shane was out there with him? But when there was no accompanying voice and Kurt was answering an unheard question, Reed figured he was on the phone.

"I have no idea. Did you check every room in the art building?"

Reed froze. He didn't want to think about that building and the horrors it held. He tried not to think about it, not to remember…

Blaine's hand waving in front of his face brought him out of it, making him focus. He was soon talking. "I'll go out. Do you want me to lie and say you're not in here?"

Reed shook his head. He knew he'd never forgive himself for putting Blaine through all this. And he wasn't about to make him lie any more than necessary.

"No. I'll come out."

Blaine nodded once before going to the door, opening it and walking through first. Kurt immediately turned to him, phone pressed to his ear.

"I'm really worried about him, it's already dark out –" He stopped the sentence as soon as he saw Blaine emerging from the bathroom. "Your brother's here. I'll see if he knows." He lowered the phone for a moment, only feeling slightly confused as to why Blaine had been in his and Reed's bathroom.

His confusion expanded drastically as Reed came out as well, carrying a pillow from his bed and trying very hard to hide his limping.

Kurt's eyebrows rose about half way to his hair line. He brought the phone to his ear again, only muttering a couple words before hanging up. "He's here. I have to go." He kept one brow up as he looked at them curiously.

Reed knew what he had to be thinking. After all it didn't look very good did it? Your boyfriend coming out of your bathroom with your roommate in tow? Too top it all off they had a pillow. He could tell Blaine was dumbfounded, completely at a loss for words.

Reed spoke up, knowing Blaine didn't have any idea what to say. "I'm sick. I came back here and Blaine found me. He's been taking care of me since." His voice was shaky but he knew Kurt would believe him. He looked like hell, even after a shower. "But I'm really tired, so could you please tell Shane to just go on to his room and leave me. I just want to go to sleep." And never wake up. He wanted to get lost in a world where everything was fine again, where he could be happy and not afraid, where bad things like this just didn't happen.

Kurt was now looking at him concerned. "Are you sure?"

Blaine was staring at him as well, wondering just how long he planned on keeping Shane out of this.

"Yes," Reed whispered, looking at his bed longingly. "I'll see him tomorrow anyways." That realization sent nerves twisting up his stomach. After what happened he didn't want to see Shane at all, but at the same time he was the only person he wanted. He wanted to be wrapped in those strong arms and rocked and comforted until everything was better. But he also didn't want Shane to touch him. It was all so confusing.

He couldn't even imagine talking to Shane right now. All he wanted to do was sleep.

"Well okay," Kurt said, still looking a little unsure. "I'll tell him. Do you want me to get you some medicine while I'm gone?"

Reed shook his head. "No. I'll be fine."

Blaine was looking him over, trying to decipher how true those words were.

"Alright, I'll be back." Kurt halted with his hand on the doorknob. "Coming Blaine?"

Blaine looked him, trying his best to fake a believable smile. "In a second."

Kurt smiled back, no longer suspecting anything, and opened the door, shutting it gently behind him. Blaine's smile fell and he immediately turned back to Reed.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? Should I like uh," he stumbled over his words, not quite sure how to put it. "stay here with Kurt tonight to keep an eye on you or something?"

Reed glanced up at him, eyebrow quirked. "Don't be silly." He sighed. "Look, I'm going to be fine. I just need to sleep it off."

Blaine doubted that very seriously. He knew Reed needed a lot more than just sleep. But he could see how tired his eyes were, the eyes that still held some degree of terror in them. So he agreed. He reached over, turning down Reed's covers.

"Come on." He lifted him up again, placing him gingerly on the bed. "Do you want to skip class tomorrow? I don't expect you to go. And since you already mentioned feeling sick I don't think anyone else would either."

Reed shook his head, pushing his legs under the blankets and flinching at the pain this brought. "I'm supposed to continue on like nothing happened. How can I do that if I stop living my life?"

Blaine wanted to ask him just how he planned on carrying on like nothing happened. Did he really just expect to get over this as though it wasn't a very big deal? This wasn't just someone hurting his feelings, or an injury he could easily recover from. This would take time to heal, and once it did Reed would always be carrying the scar. There was just no easy way to forget.

He wanted to tell Reed all of that, make him understand the severity, maybe convince him he needed help, but he didn't. He had been through more than enough today and the boy looked so positively drained. He knew he should let him rest.

He had no way of knowing that he would receive very little, that Reed would be lying awake most the night, scared and hurting, crying himself to sleep.

* * *

><p>Blaine himself was also unable to fall asleep as his brother seemed incapable of <em>shutting the heck up.<em> Blaine knew sharing a room with him was a mistake.

"Well what did he say? Was he okay when you left? How badly was he hurting? What was hurting? Was it his stomach? His head?" Shane rambled on, barely even taking a pause between each question. "How sick was he? Did he throw up? Did you give him medicine? Are you sure he's fine? Will he be in school tomorrow? Are you sure I can't see him? What if he wants to see me? If he's sick I should be there taking care of him! Are you even listening to me Blaine?"

Blaine groaned from where he was hiding beneath his pillow, attempting to block out Shane's inane questions. "Shane!" he threw the pillow off so he could be heard, "For the last time he's fine! He just wasn't feeling well. He just needs to sleep it off, he'll be back to normal tomorrow."

Blaine was lying through his teeth and he knew it. There no way Reed would be back to normal anytime soon, and certainly not tomorrow. He wasn't even sure if normal was a proper word. Reed would never be the same after this.

He wanted to tell Shane the truth so bad the words were beginning to bubble up in his throat, just dying to be spoken.

He could imagine it, sitting up and staring at his brother who sat cross legged and wide eyed a few feet away on his bed. He pictured himself swallowing, looking at Shane nervously before finally blurting out the truth. Reed wasn't sick, he was raped. And by some guy he didn't even know. And he _was _hurting, he was hurting _everywhere. _And there was nothing they could do to make him feel better. And that Reed didn't even want Shane to know. That he was scared…

He could see Shane's expression to this, an accurate cross between horror, fury, and despair. He knew what would happen then. Shane would jump off his bed, racing across the hall and into Reed's room, demanding to know if it was true. He could also see Reed, looking so hurt and betrayed.

He finally snapped out of, feeling the words die in his throat. He couldn't tell Shane even if he wanted to. He couldn't take betraying Reed like that, and even though hiding something so critical from his brother was bad, seeing him break down over something Reed needed to tell him himself would be worse.

He looked over to him, seeing Shane chewing on his lip and looking so worried all because he thought Reed was _sick._ What would he do if he knew the truth?

Blaine stood up, striding across the room to turn the light off, leaving them in darkness. At least he couldn't see Shane's face anymore and feel the guilt that accompanied it.

He climbed back into bed, staring blankly into the black surrounding him. When he woke up this morning it had been just a normal day, and it stayed that way until sometime after classes ended when Kurt sent him upstairs to see if Reed had returned. The second he saw Reed sitting there, looking so scared and broken, everything changed. It had been a downward spiral since then and now the happy morning that wasn't even twenty four hours ago seemed days away. So much had changed, and would remain that way.

He could feel his eyes prickling.

"Shane," he whispered after he heard his brother settle in his covers.

"Yeah?"

He cleared his throat, trying not to sound of the verge of tears. "You're a really great boyfriend. I'm glad Reed has you."

Shane blinked, taken completely by surprise. "Wow. Thanks I guess. That's the first time you've said something about me dating Reed that didn't have to deal with me calming down and stop being so stalkerish."

Blaine pursed his lips. "Yeah well, I just thought you should know." He said the next four words so quietly he doubted Shane could even hear him. "No matter what happens…"

* * *

><p>It had to be well past two in the morning when the black abbess of unconsciousness finally lulled Reed to sleep. His eyes were stinging so badly he could hardly keep them open, but even when they closed sleep just would not come. His body was so tired but he brain wouldn't shut up. He was awake and aware, doing his best to keep his head clear, to force <em>it<em> from worming its way back in his mind.

He tried to stifle the cries that were slipping passed his lips by smothering them into his pillow, the fabric of which was soaked wet by his tears. He didn't need Kurt hearing him and making a big deal over it. It came as a relief when Kurt remained in his bed, snoozing away, oblivious to the boy only a couple of feet away hurting and sobbing.

He jerked up, blinking a bit in surprise when the door opened slowly, creaking as it did. His hands started shaking and a deep hallow feeling settled into his stomach when he realized someone was walking in. The feeling of terror only intensified when he realized this person had a crop of unruly black curls atop his head.

_Oh god, what is he doing here?_

Shane stepped forward, smiling sweetly from where he was mostly hidden in the darkness of the room.

Reed bit onto his lip, cowering underneath the covers, only eyes and fluffy hair visible. He lowered the blanket only enough to speak in a quivering voice, "Why are you here?"

His eyes grew wide when Shane finally stepped into the strip of moonlight that shone from the open blinds of the window. He wasn't smiling sweetly at all. There was an evil gleam in his eye and a devious smirk across his face. His expression sent a cold chill rocketing through Reed's system and his body started shaking with new found intensity.

"Why –why are you looking at me like that?" he found himself asking even though he had no intention of speaking the words.

He didn't answer only stepped forward slowly, and Reed should have realized that something was terribly wrong when not seconds later Shane was standing in front of his bed, peering down at him with such a look it made Reed want to hide underneath his blankets completely.

Not another word was exchanged when suddenly there was a force on Reed's chest making the breath leave his lungs in a painful instant. It took a second for him to realize where the weight had come from.

"Shane!" he squealed, horror flooding his senses. "What are you doing!"

He kicked his trapped legs weakly, trying to fight against the body that was on top of him, pinning him down. Shane's fingers were wrapped around his forearms, holding them in place and making it impossible to fight him off. He was straddling Reed's middle in such a way that his kicking was doing absolutely nothing.

He screamed, Shane's horrifying face blurring thanks to the tears that were starting to overflow. Why was this happening again? And why _Shane? _Why was Shane of all people doing this to him? _Why Shane?_

"Why are you doing this to me?" he sobbed, completely terrified. He never thought Shane would ever try to hurt him like this.

Another scream tore through his throat bringing back all the previous rawness when his arm was released and Shane's hand drifted down, instead opting to tug Reed's shirt up. He kept kicking and screaming, his throat returning to its original soreness, as the tears poured from his eyes.

Kurt jolted up in surprise, instantly awake. He jumped out of his bed and dashed across the room, going straight to the bed of the boy who was screaming in his sleep, kicking and flinging his arms at an unseen predator.

"Reed!" he cried, dodging a few misguided swings. "Reed, wake up!"

He tried to grab onto the smaller boy's shoulders, but he was jerking around so much he could have very well been having a seizure. Kurt knew that wasn't the case as Reed's screams had not stopped and were remaining just as loud. It was obviously a nightmare, but Kurt couldn't help but wonder what the hell kind of dream had Reed acting like this.

"Reed, you have to wake up!" He was finally able to get a firm hold of the shoulders and started shaking, but this only caused the screams to get louder and his kicking to increase in velocity. "Reed!"

The door crashed open and Kurt wasn't surprised to see Blaine and Shane rushing in, the twins and Wes and David following. Dwight inched into the room, holding a spray bottle and a rosary, completely prepared to do an exorcism if necessary. Reed was screaming so loudly Kurt figured quite a few people were being woken.

"What the hell is going on in here?" David demanded, stepping into the room with Wes in tow.

Shane instantly raced forward when he realized what was happening, rushing to Reed's side and sitting on the bed.

Blaine stood frozen, not having any idea what to do. He had a good idea of what this was about, and knew he'd have to keep his mouth shut to keep Reed's secret hidden. He swallowed the nervousness away. If Reed was having nightmares about this…

He wanted to them all so badly but the memory of the look of betrayal in Reed's eyes made him keep quiet.

"Reed?" Shane's voiced was laced with worry. "Wake up okay?" He shook him lightly, not at all in the harsh way Kurt was doing before.

The smaller boy started thrashing from side to side, trying to get out of the invisible grip that was holding him down. His feet were still kicking and the screams had not stopped for even a second. Other boys were beginning to litter out in the hall, grumbling to themselves and wondering what in the world was going on.

The twins' expressions were completely lacking their usually mischief, instead set in a curious quirked eyebrow, both looking down at Reed from the foot of the bed, Wes and David beside them. Dwight had barely moved from the door, completely convinced Reed was getting possessed.

"Reed!" Shane gave a single powerful shake, not knowing what else to do. He was completely terrified. He hadn't seen Reed in hours and now he was here, watching the person he loved have a night terror so intense he had once doubted they even existed outside of movies.

Finally Reed's eyes sprang open and he jumped back, fists sill flying as one connected with Shane's jaw painfully. His screams died in his throat, and he scooted back to the other side of his bed, cowering behind his blankets and shaking. The dancer reeled, hand on the sore spot on his cheek, completely shocked.

Reed could see the watering images of his friends all standing around his bed, staring at him in varying expressions of shock and concern. He could see Shane's eyes. They no longer looked evil or menacing, only scared and worried as he rubbed his jaw. Reed instantly felt guilty, realizing the Shane from his dream wasn't Shane at all.

He couldn't apologize though. He was still shaking and panting heavily and he could feel the wetness on his cheeks that announced the arrival of even more tears.

"Are you alright?" Shane finally found his voice, lowering his hand and staring at the boy whose sweat was making his curls stick to his forehead. He looked so downright terrified it scared the taller boy immensely.

Reed finally nodded before ducking his head underneath the covers, hiding behind them and speaking a small voice. "I'm fine. Now go away."

Everyone collectively looked at each other in shock. Reed had just had the most intense nightmare anyone of them had ever witnessed and he said he was _fine?_

Kurt spoke up this time, stepping forward slightly. "Reed you were screaming so loudly it woke everyone up."

The blankets were shaking as Reed continued to hide beneath them. "I said go away!" He voice was much harsher this time and everyone could immediately tell he was serious. The twins gave each other one unreadable look before they left, intent on badgering Reed about this tomorrow when he didn't look so scared. Wes and David followed, thinking the exact same thing. Dwight scurried after them, still not fully convinced Reed was actually Reed.

That left Kurt, who wouldn't leave even if he could, it was his room after all; Blaine who stood there nervously fidgeting; and Shane who wasn't about to leave Reed's side when he just freaked out like this.

"Reed?" he asked softly, reaching out to touch the form beneath the blankets. Reed only jumped at the contact as though it physically hurt. "Do you want to tell me what that was about?" He didn't remove his hand, only started rubbing his side comfortingly. He could see the movement under the covers that meant Reed was shaking his head.

Blaine was worrying his lip, trying to keep his hands from twisting together. His nervous habits went unnoticed by Kurt, who stood next to him completely fixed on Reed's small form, eyebrow raised and arms across his chest. He was worried, but also a bit irritated. Reed had just woken everyone up at four in the morning with his screams and now he refused to talk about it.

Shane kept rubbing his boyfriend's side, trying to help him feel better. "Are you sure? That was quite the nightmare." He tried to keep his voice light, to hide the terror he felt.

Reed's small voice was soon being muffled by the blankets again. "Please. Just go away."

He sounded so pleadingly he was almost begging, and Shane chewed on his lip, torn. He didn't want to leave Reed alone after what just happened but he could also tell that's all Reed wanted.

"Come on," Blaine finally spoke up, tugging on his brother's arm.

Shane looked between them, unsure. He didn't want to go, but Reed so clearly wanted him gone. He decided that Kurt would be here in anything else happened and that thought comforted him a little. He finally nodded reluctantly. "Alright." He patted Reed's arm, wishing he'd come out from behind the blankets so he could see him. "We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?"

His tone was firm, and Reed could tell it meant he wouldn't forget or let it slide. He gulped nervously, but allowed himself to feel momentarily better as he felt the weight lift off the bed, hearing the door close not long after.

The pain was back, sparking all through his backside and lower back, and the throbbing from the welts were all the worse after all the thrashing around he did. He starting crying into his pillow again, taking extra caution to be quiet. If Kurt heard now after that little stunt he'd just pulled, there was no way he'd let it slide.

His chest was heaving again, and he clutched onto the pillow tightly. He was so scared. Why did he just dream about _that?_ And why was it Shane? That was the absolute worst.

He smothered his face into the pillow, completely terrified. But he knew this was only the beginning. There would be more reactions to come, and he was beginning to wonder just how well he'd be able to pretend nothing had happened.


	3. Suspicions

**Hey. Sorry this took so long. This isn't exactly the easiest thing to write. That's no excuse I know. But still. **

**I'm starting to feel a little alarmed about the amount of people asking if Shane is going to find out.**

**Yes.**

* * *

><p><em>Hurt myself again today.<em>

* * *

><p>Blaine's eyes were stinging so badly all he wanted to do was let them slipped closed. But he couldn't. The sun was finally filtering in through to window beside the desk he sat at, announcing the arrival of morning. He had been awake since Reed's nightmare and didn't plan on sleeping now. What would be the point? He'd have to wake up to go to class soon anyways.<p>

Shane fell back into unconsciousness soon enough, but not before rambling on and on about what Reed's dream could have possibly meant, asking Blaine questions he really didn't expect an answer for, just wanting to speak them aloud so he could voice his confusion. Blaine could tell Shane was worried. But he couldn't do anything about it.

He also knew exactly what Reed's nightmare was about. His behavior during and after made it quite obvious. So he had to do something, anything to help. He wanted to tell everyone, remembering how concerned they all were while it was happening, but he couldn't.

He had to do something though, especially if he was going to be the only one who knew, the only one who could help. And he would have to do that as much as possible. Which meant he needed to know exactly what he was dealing with.

He needed to know what to do whenever Reed had nightmares like this; what to do when he seemed to remember something specific about the attack; what to do when he lost control over his emotions; what to do in general.

He knew dealing with something like this was going to take a lot of work. Reed would be going through many different types of side effects and being the only person who knew why, he'd have to educate himself on what to expect and how to deal with it.

That was why he sat here, staring at his laptop with tired eyes, learning all he could about rape victims and the aftermath of such an assault. He had been reading since Shane fell back asleep and could feel his brain throbbing with the combination of all the new knowledge and the sleep deprivation.

If only he could just rest his eyes for one second…

The shrill shrieking of Shane's extra loud alarm clock (it took a mountain to wake him up) made him jump in surprise, nearly falling out of his chair.

The little numbers in the corner of his screen informed him it was seven a.m. and that classes would be starting soon. The thought of going through seven hours of school after not even three hours of sleep made his head hurt even worse. But he wasn't going to let Reed go through it alone. Not after everything he read…

Now that he could glimpse at the full extent of what Reed would be going through, he was going to do everything in his admittedly limited power to help.

Searing in his throat made Reed's aching eyes spring open, not that they'd been closed for long. Falling back to sleep after that nightmare had been nearly impossible and it felt as though his eyes had only been closed for a couple minutes before the gaging feeling was tearing through his sore throat.

He jumped up, ignoring the pain throbbing through his body that was now considerably dulled but still just as persistent, and ran into the bathroom, leaning over the sink to expel the rest of the contents of his stomach which was mostly empty thanks to this very thing happening not even ten hours ago.

His arms were trembling with a combination of the pain and effort, barely able to hold himself up. He wiped his mouth clean with the back of a shaking hand, trying his best to ignore the burning in his throat and quite a few other places as well.

He leapt back, taken completely by surprise when he turned to see Kurt standing in the door way, eyebrow raised and concern in his eyes.

"Are you alright? You look really sick." He walked forward and into the room, stopping when he was close enough to lay a hand on Reed's clammy forehead. He immediately flinched away. He still didn't want to be touched. "You probably still have whatever you had last night. Do you want to just skip classes today?"

Reed sank back, attempting to discreetly shy away from Kurt's touch and presence. His head was pounding from all the crying and add that to the lack of sleep, all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed, to lay there forever and forget about everything. He wanted to say yes; he wanted to stay hidden in his room all day instead of being forced to face the world. But he knew he couldn't. If he was left alone with just himself and his thoughts he knew the direction they would turn, he knew what he'd end up thinking about. He couldn't let that happen. He needed to keep busy, let his mind be distracted, and what better way to do that but why sitting through hours of boring lessons?

"No," he finally croaked. "No. I have to go. I'll be fine." Kurt did not look persuaded in the least bit so Reed offered a small smile that looked strained and fake, more scared than anything. "I promise."

Kurt still looked unsure, but nevertheless turned, sighing, "Okay. I can't force you to stay back, although I still think you should. I just–" He stopped talking abruptly, eyes fixating on the garbage can by the sink. Reed followed his gaze, feeling a sense of panic and dread twist in his stomach when he saw exactly what Kurt was looking at.

He turned back to younger boy, instantly noting his expression. He stared down at Reed questioningly, eyes expecting an answer. "Why is there clothing in the trash bin?"

Reed's heart was pounding, the sound vibrating in his ears. He froze, completely at a loss. "I… uh…" he stammered, swallowing nervously. Kurt continued to stare him down, expression unwavering. "I just… didn't want them anymore." He finished with another nervous gulp, trying to smile but only coming across as pained.

Eyebrow raised, Kurt looked back to the bin, clothing and belt stuffed in but still easily noticeable. "But don't they belong to the school?" He laughed a little despite the suspicions he felt over the odd situation. "I know they aren't exactly fashionable but everyone has to wear them."

Reed shifted his eyes to the ground, staring at his feet intently. "I have others. I don't need those."

Kurt was staring back at him, suspicions coming to a peak. "What's wrong with this pair?" When Reed only shrugged loosely, refusing to meet Kurt's curious eyes, Kurt glanced back to the clothes. Narrowing his eyes, he attempted to walk forward to get a better look, but only managed a couple of steps before Reed's hand shot out, clutching onto the taller boy's arm with force.

"No!" he shouted, surprising Kurt with the change of tone. "They're just stupid clothes Kurt! Can you please just drop it?"

His voice had an edge to it but his eyes were watery, almost looking pleading. Kurt immediately felt uneasy and his suspicions only intensified. He had never seen Reed act like this, and was about to point it out when a knocking sounded from the door, causing them to both turn their heads towards the doorway.

He glanced back at Reed who looked somewhat frightened, bestowing him an intense look that told the smaller boy Kurt was now suspecting of his unorthodox behavior. Reed just swallowed uncomfortably as he watched Kurt turn, walking out the bathroom to answer the insistent knocking on the door.

Blaine stood outside, fidgeting slightly to himself as he waited for someone to open the door. Walking in unexpectedly just didn't seem right, especially given everything that had happened. He had dressed as quickly as possible, trying his best to wake Shane who was stubbornly trying to stay in bed, much like he did every morning. When he finally got up Blaine was quick to leave the room, wanting to talk to Reed before his brother got to him. He had to discuss everything he recently found out and he didn't need Shane overhearing them.

The door finally opened, revealing Kurt, still dressed in his pajamas. He smiled upon seeing Blaine who was working hard at hiding his nerves, trying to appear completely normal.

"Uh hi." He spoke softly, smiling a little. Kurt didn't notice anything abnormal though, much to Blaine's endless relief. He only smiled back and welcomed Blaine inside the room.

"Why are you here so early? I'm not even dressed yet," Kurt said as he walked over to his closet, pulling out the ever familiar uniform.

"I just um," Blaine struggled to find an excuse. "Wanted to see you," he finished lamely, giving a plastic smile. Kurt remained oblivious though so Blaine continued speaking. "Was Reed okay? Did he have any more nightmares?"

Kurt turned to face him then and Blaine could easily detect the confusion in his eyes. He hoped to god he was imagining the suspicious look Kurt now wore. What would Kurt have to be suspicious about anyways? It wasn't like he knew anything that would give it away. Despite these thoughts reassuring him, Blaine still swallowed nervously and this time it did not go unnoticed by his boyfriend whose eyebrow quirked slightly before he answered.

"No. No more nightmares. But he did throw up this morning." Kurt studied Blaine's reaction carefully, noting the panic that flashed in his hazel eyes. "I suggested he stay back but he refused." He also noticed the anger that replaced the panic. What did that mean? He decided to leave the part about the clothes out. Nothing made sense. He was desperately trying to find a way to piece all these clues together, only coming up with nothing. Maybe Reed actually was just sick and Blaine was worried. But still, that didn't explain the clothes…

Meanwhile Blaine was feeling irritated. He was worried out of his mind and Reed was acting like this just wasn't a big deal. Of course it was a big deal! Didn't he realize that yet?

"Where is he anyways?" he asked, trying to keep his voice flowing easily. Kurt didn't need another thing to suspect.

Before he was given an answer, the bathroom door opened and Reed appeared, dressed in his uniform, wearing the dark blue cardigan instead of his blazer. He brushed off invisible lint before looking up and realizing Blaine stood there, scrutinizing his every move.

Kurt looked back and forth between the two of them, watching them carefully. He managed to catch the panicked look that crossed Reed's face upon seeing Blaine, also seeing the tenor stare back at Reed with a knowing look Kurt didn't exactly understand.

"I'll be back." He held up the clothes in his arms as an indication, but the two other occupants in the room barely looked away from each other as Kurt made his way to the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Once he was gone, Reed shuffled, staring at the floor and blushing. Seeing Blaine instantly reminded him that the other boy knew everything. And that was extremely embarrassing.

"So." Blaine spoke, keeping his voice at such a volume so that only Reed would be able to hear him. "You threw up again."

Reed shrugged, moving to the foot of his bed and Blaine could immediately tell he wasn't limping as much as yesterday but still clearly struggling to walk normally. "So what if I did? It's not a big deal."

Blaine wanted to groan but bit it back. "You're wrong! It is a big deal! _Everything _is!" He made to run his fingers through his hair in frustration but stopped himself. He barely had any gel in his usually tightly knitted down hair thanks to this morning's haste. "What if the puking has something to do with what happened?"

Reed's eyes flashed. Blaine could see every ounce of emotion they held whenever it was mentioned. Terror, fear, shock, confusion, pain naming only a few. He bit onto his lip, looking away. "It's not. It's probably just trauma or something," he mumbled keeping his eyes locked on the ground.

"At least you're admitting it was something traumatic!" Blaine tried to keep his voice down but he desperately wanted Reed to understand. He sighed. "Reed you really need help!" That caught his attention. He looked back up, an unreadable expression on his face. "I read about everything. What you're going to be going through… Reed I don't think I can help you by myself. You need someone who knows what they're doing!"

Reed's eyes hardened and Blaine could see betrayal overcome the panic. "I never said I needed your help! I can get through this all by myself! I didn't ask you to invade my business and I don't need any freaking help!"

Blaine's jaw was open and his eyes were wide. Reed had never yelled at him like that before. As a matter of fact he had never yelled at anyone like that, savor the time he exploded on Micah when he thought he was trying to take Shane away from him, and even then it took weeks of buildup and he immediately apologized afterward. This time he didn't. He continued to stare at Blaine with solid eyes that were misting over. When his bottom lip started to tremble, Blaine sprang forward.

"Don't cry okay. I'm not going to tell anybody I swear. I just." He stopped talking, swallowing instead. "I'm worried about you." The harshness in Reed's eyes quickly dispersed, leaving him looking scared and hurt. "And I know that I may not be able to do anything that will make you feel better." He shrugged, looking down with worry.

Reed just stared at the floor, unable to look Blaine in the eyes as the guilt flooded over him. It was all his fault he was so worried.

"I don't know what to do," Blaine admitted, looking down as well.

There was a tense, thick silence that was only broken when a soft sob passed through Reed's lips. Blaine blinked up, alarmed before Reed was mumbling.

"What would you do if it was you?"

Blaine allowed himself to imagine it; picturing himself going about his day normally before some stranger came along, beating him, whipping at his skin with something thick enough to draw blood, forcing him to lean over a desk before… He stopped there, squeezing his eyes shut and grabbing onto the smaller boy in front of him, pulling him close and letting him cry. It hurt too much to imagine, he couldn't comprehend actually living through it.

Kurt was staring into the mirror, admiring his uniform and hair, checking for any flaws. When he was finally satisfied, he turned away only to come face to face with the cause of such trouble earlier. The garbage bin sat there, still displaying the clothes clearly. Curiosity started to inch its way back into Kurt's mind, wondering exactly what was wrong with them and why Reed had freaked out so badly when they were brought up.

He glanced at the door, double checking that it was still locked before looking back to tempting clothes. A part of him thought this whole thing was silly but another, larger part of him knew something was up with his best friend and those clothes might just have something to do with it.

Quickly realizing he needed to know, he grabbed onto the white button down on top, pulling it up and inspecting it carefully. At first he was confused. There was nothing out of the ordinary to be mentioned. But when he saw the large rust colored stain that had dried, making to corner of the shirt wrinkled and scrunched up, he gasped, feeling his eyes widen only slightly. He knew Reed getting hurt was nothing new so he wasn't too worried, not until he turned the shirt over. Dots of the same color lined over the white fabric causing Kurt's confusion to intensify. What kind of injury could cause bleeding like this and all over his back? And how could Reed's clumsiness have possibly caused this?

He dropped the shirt back, not needing to look at the pants to know something was wrong.

He threw the bathroom door open, ready to demand answers. But he stopped right in tracks, freezing when he realized what was happening.

Blaine had his arms wrapped around Reed tightly, and they both jumped back, straightening out their clothes and trying to appear normal the second they heard the door open. Reed ran a hand over his damp cheeks, looking anywhere except Kurt's eyes. Blaine was also avoiding his gaze, staring at the floor.

Kurt just clenched his jaw, saying nothing. Nothing added up. Reed's unusual behavior, his ruined clothes, his illness, his nightmare, and now all of the sudden he and Blaine were becoming quite a bit closer. He didn't know what was going on but he knew one thing for sure: they were hiding something.

* * *

><p>Reed had barely made it out of the awkward silence that took hold of the room the second Kurt came out, but as he closed the door behind him, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone in the room, he was relieved he did. That relief was instantly washed away the second he saw he wasn't the only person in the hall.<p>

"Hi," Shane breathed, stepping forward with a smile.

Reed was unable to return it. "Um. Hi."

Shane just grinned blissfully, completely ignorant to the fact there was something wrong. He moved to place a hand over Reed's forehead, not noting how he flinched away from the touch.

"Are you still sick? Do you feel better today?"

No. Not at all. But he didn't dare say that, he knew he had to lie. "Yeah. I guess it only lasted a couple hours." He tried to smile but found it to be impossible.

Shane still didn't register anything was wrong though as he continued talking easily. "And that nightmare. What was that about?" Of course he wasn't going to forget about that was he?

Reed looked to the floor, knowing that if Shane could see his eyes he would instantly catch the dishonesty in his words. "Um I don't know. I don't remember anything that happened in it."

Shane, still smiling, only looked at the boy who refused to meet his eyes in confusion. "You don't remember? That was the worst nightmare I've ever experienced and it wasn't even me. And you're telling me you don't even remember what happened?"

Trying to hide the quivering in his voice, Reed answered "Yes."

He was lying. Of course he remembered. How could he forget the look in Shane's eyes as he hovered over him, holding him down and trying to force the clothes from his body. Reed's eyes slammed shut. He already had to deal with the memories of the first time that had happened, he didn't need this nightmare haunting him too.

Shane was still looking at him puzzled so Reed kept his eyes glued to his feet.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, finally picking up on the weight in the air that screamed abnormal.

Reed nearly choked on his words. "N-no. Nothing is wrong." He took a daring glance upward and regretted it immediately. He saw the change in Shane's eyes, the carefree happiness melting away into worried suspicion.

His eyes narrowed in concentration. "Where did this bruise come from?" he asked gently grazing the coloring patch on Reed's cheek.

Reed could remember exactly how it felt each time a hand was sent over his face harshly, forcing him to keep quiet. He gulped, staring down at the floor. "Nowhere– I don't remember. It doesn't matter. I'm fine."

Shane's brows were pulled together. "Are you sure?" he reached out to put an arm around the smaller boy in a loving, concerned gesture. But Reed was flinching under his touch the second he did so, twisting to get out of the hold with a hiss escaping his lips. It wasn't the fact that he didn't want to be touched, although that was part of it, that made him cringe; it was pain this action brought, Shane's arm unknowing grazing the untreated welts on Reed's back.

Shane's concern doubled and shock was added to the confusion. "What is it?"

There was no way Reed was going to get out of this with a 'nothing.' He swallowed nervously, hoping this answer would suffice. "My back is just sore is all." Technically he wasn't lying. Technically.

Shane's hand unconsciously drifted towards Reed's back again, lingering around the hem of his shirt. "Can I see it?" He ended the question with an innocent tug upward, pulling the fabric lightly.

Reed's hand snapped up, slapping Shane's away the instant he started tugging, jumping back with a shrill scream tearing through the air. "No!"

Time seemed to stop as Reed stared up into Shane's shell shocked face with terror. He was barely even aware the door beside them had opened and Kurt and Blaine appeared, both searching for the source of the sound.

Reed's heart was beating irregularly again and he couldn't stop the panicked feeling from creeping up his spine when Shane's confused expressed turned into one of deep suspect.

Kurt was the one who finally broke the stiff silence. "Uh, what just happened?" He glanced at Shane but could immediately tell he was no more informed than the rest of them. His eyes trailed back to Reed who looked so shocked and scared he was physically trembling.

"Nothing," he was quick to answer, his voice an octave higher than normal. He turned away, tearing himself away from Shane's piercing gaze. "Let's just go. We're probably going to be late."

"Wait!" He stopped, hearing Shane's call but he didn't turn back around. "Are you sure you're okay, you're acting strange."

No. He wasn't okay. He was far from okay but he refused to acknowledge it. Because acknowledging that meant that there was something wrong, and knowing that something was wrong meant automatically knowing what caused that. And he wouldn't allow himself to think about it. He was _not _going to think about that today, he was not going to remember.

Blaine watched Shane carefully, feeling guilt and worry swirling around in the pit of his stomach. He could read every single one of Shane's emotions easily as they were written in his eyes. He knew how he was feeling but what could he do? He started to feel a little alarmed when Shane mentioned Reed's odd behavior. Shane knew something wasn't right and he wanted to know what, and knowing his brother, he wouldn't stop until he got his way, he never did.

When was he going to find out? Blaine was almost certain he would. Even if Reed was determined to keep it hidden, how exactly would that be possible when he couldn't even walk straight? He started studying Shane again, thinking about what exactly he would do when the truth came out. The thought made his stomach drop.

Kurt was staring at the back of Reed's head, mentally noting every nervous tremor that ran through him. He added this incident to the rapidly growing list of things to be wary of.

He finally answered, only whispering two words. "I'm not." He set off down the stairs then, almost successfully hiding his limp.

No one chose to comment on the fact that his answer seemed contradicting in itself and only silently followed, vainly hoping that Reed was telling the truth.

* * *

><p>They were nearing the main building of the school when Reed was pulled out of his thoughts. He had been silent the whole way, not noticing the curious glances shared by his friends as they wondered why he was acting so weird.<p>

"Why are you limping?"

His head snapped up then, looking up to see everyone watching him expectantly. He wasn't even sure who asked but they all appeared to be wanting an answer. His eyes found Blaine's, both pairs wide with panic. Blaine shrugged lightly, trying to discreetly tell Reed he had no idea what to say.

Reed was at a loss too. He wasn't even completely aware he had been limping. He was only trying to walk in the most comfortable way possible, doing anything to lessen the pain he still felt. It still hurt, but at least it wasn't as bad as last night.

Suddenly his thoughts were turning back to that night and he forced himself to close his eyes, titling his head downward.

His voice shook when he finally answered, "I think I just pulled something in my leg last night." He swallowed before adding, "From that nightmare…"

He immediately regretted mentioning it when the twins were reminded of this, instantly choosing to comment. "About that nightmare, what was that about?"

Reed didn't see which one had asked for his eyes were still watching his feet. "I don't know. I don't remember what happened."

Kurt was the first to speak up. "Wait. You woke me up at four AM screaming your lungs out and you don't even remember why?"

Reed didn't answer, instead shaking his head without looking up. Something about this whole conversation had Kurt feeling uneasy. He didn't know why but he did know that he wasn't buying what Reed was telling them. Not even a little bit.

Shane studied his boyfriend closely. That was exactly what he had told him. It felt a little suspicious to him but what did he know? Reed might have actually forgotten. But there was something about the way he was acting that made him think there was something more. It was like there was a heavy shift in the atmosphere that hadn't been here yesterday, something that made today so much different. But he had no idea what.

"Wait a minute," he said, realizing something. Reed glanced up at him, hearing the tone in Shane's voice that meant he had figured something out. Shane could easily detect the panic that was swimming in Reed's brown eyes. "You said your back hurts earlier, there's also a bruise on your cheek. Now you're limping because of your leg?" Shane looked heavily concerned. In his mind he imagined Reed doing something that testified his clumsiness, perhaps falling down the stairs but being too embarrassed to admit it. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong? Did something happen?"

As soon as the words met Reed's ears his eyes were widening, panic and terror flooding through him. "Nothing happened!" he said, a little too loudly to be considered normal. Everyone stopped walking, staring at smaller boy who now looked genuinely scared with shock. "I'm fine! Now could you all please leave me alone!" He turned, quickening his pace but still noticeably limping, and walked away leaving eight boys staring after him, stunned.

Kurt was the first to break the silence, saying the same thing they were all thinking. "Something is up with him."

* * *

><p>Reed's knees felt weak when he finally stepped through the main building of the school. His eyes involuntarily scanned around the boys that were present. He started trembling, shaking every time he spotted someone with dark blonde hair. His arms wrapped around his chest, hugging onto himself, feeling terrified. He was suddenly cursing himself for running ahead. Not only did that cause the pain in his backside to increase, but now he was here, facing the mass of students a<em>lone, <em>knowing that _he_ could be anywhere.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep the tears from falling and block the image of _his _face from his mind. Just knowing that _he_ was here somewhere, lurking, even though he knew he didn't have any classes with him, just being in the same school was enough to make him want to run back out, to the safety of his room.

Just as he turned around to do just that, he found himself staring up at a much taller body. He was endlessly relieved to see it was only Shane, peering down at him with confusion.

"What is it?" he asked, titling his head slightly.

Reed didn't answer, he instead clutched onto the taller boy's shirt tightly, burying his face into the fabric and letting the tears fall.

Shane stood there, completely astonished, confusion only doubling. He slowly wrapped his arms around the shaking boy carefully, making sure he wouldn't jump away from the touch. He also avoided his back, which he thought was merely sore. He had no way of knowing the truth.

He was just a clueless when came to what was happening now. It took him completely by surprise when Reed had grabbed onto him and started crying, especially when he had previously been showing reluctance to even be looked at, let alone talked to or held.

Reed was petrified. He knew _he _was here somewhere. He hadn't thought about what he'd do when he was forced to go back to school, he hadn't thought that far ahead. But now that he was here, he was scared stiff. He didn't want to move.

What would he do if he saw _him_ in passing, in the lunchroom or the halls? What if _he _tried to talk to him? What if _he _tried to do something else?

He started sobbing at the thought, clutching onto Shane's unbuttoned blazer harder. He winced when Shane started to rub his back soothingly, unknowingly causing pain to throb from the welts he didn't know existed.

Shane maneuvered them from the door and to the corner of the room, Reed moving as easily as if he were a ragdoll but never letting go or looking up.

"Reed," Shane unsuccessfully tried to pry Reed off so he could look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" He was given no answer, only sobs. "Baby, please tell me." He was feeling terrified, scared that Reed was actually hurt.

Reed only whimpered, shaking calming a fraction. He finally spoke, his voice muffled slightly by Shane's clothing. "Don't leave me."

That stunned Shane even further, and he had to double check that he'd heard right. "What do you mean don't leave you? I'll never leave you."

Voice trembling along with body, Reed spoke again. "Promise?"

Shane tightened his hold, not noticing how Reed flinched when he did. "I promise." He was so confused. None of this made any sense. He was also starting to feel much more worried than he previously was. Not only was he missing something, but it seemed more serious than he had originally thought. And that scared him more than anything.

Why would Reed hide something from him?

He didn't know why but he was sure he was when Reed continued to shake and cry, appearing to not care about the fact they were being given odd looks or that they were probably going to be late.

Shane once again found himself cursing the fact that he was a year younger than his boyfriend and therefor didn't have many classes with him.

"Do you want to go back to your room? We don't have to go to class today, we can talk about it instead."

Those words caused Reed to snap out of it. He jumped back, trying to recompose himself. He couldn't believe he was stupid enough to cry like that in front of Shane. He had just basically confirmed that there was something wrong. And he knew Shane knew it. He was staring at him with such a worried expression it was obvious. And now he wanted to talk about it. He knew there was something worth talking about and he probably wouldn't give up until they did.

_Way to go idiot_

But when he spotted a boy with dirty blonde hair running passed them he was suddenly aware of why he acted that way in the first place. He was unconsciously leaning towards Shane again, feeling the tears continue to build.

"No," he finally answered. "I have to go to class. I'll be fine." He paused, looking to his shuffling feet before murmuring, "Can you walk me there?"

Shane blinked. He wasn't sure how to feel. He was so freaking confused. "Uh, of course." It took him off guard when Reed wrapped his arms around one of Shane's own, hiding his face behind it.

"Don't let go."

Shane barely heard the whispered words. He nearly choked on his response. "I-I won't."

He didn't care if it made him even later to class than he already was, he wasn't going to make Reed walk there alone, not when he seemed genuinely terrified. When they started walking, Reed was beginning to limp again and Shane noticed.

He tried to think passed the confusion, shock, and fear in his mind. He had no idea what was going on. He had never seen Reed act like this, he'd never even seen him cry like he just did, and in school? And what was with his mysterious injuries that just developed overnight? This behavior was scaring him, so much it was impossible to think about anything else.

He stumbled forward numbly, too dazed to have a real response to anything.

He wasn't the only one was surprised as Kurt was standing in the other corner, eyes narrowed and suspicions overflowing. He added this to his mental list. From this he could tell Shane was in the dark just as much as he was. But now there was no doubt in his mind. Reed was hiding something. And he was going to find out what.

* * *

><p>Shane stopped outside of Reed's classroom. He wasn't expecting Blaine to be standing there, waiting.<p>

His eyes widened when he took in the image of Reed, trembling and holding onto his brother's arm so tightly it was beginning to cut off his circulation. He shifted uncomfortably, knowing Shane was probably beyond confused. He was unable to meet his questioning eyes as he avoided his gaze, looking down to the floor.

Reed finally looked up when they stopped walking. He had successfully kept himself from seeing any of the passing students. If they had passed _him_ in the hall, he had no way of knowing. Even though he was relieved he didn't see him, that thought still scared him to death.

He didn't know how he'd be able to make it through the day knowing that the person who had hurt him so bad and in the worst possible way was lurking around, going to the same school he was, walking the same halls. He cringed, wanting to draw into himself and disappear, to vanish into thin air and never have to deal with this ever again. He looked to Blaine, trying to catch his eye.

Blaine could feel the stares that he was being given. He looked up slowly, locking his eyes on Reed's terrified ones. He instantly figured out why Reed was so scared. Of course he was. He was here, standing in the same building that the monster that raped him was probably in. No wonder he looked petrified.

He thanked whatever God there was that he shared all but one class with Reed.

He reached out, pulling Reed away from his still heavily confused brother.

"Come on Reed. We're late."

They started walking through the doorway before Blaine felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Shane staring at him, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

Reed stopped walking the second Blaine had, glancing up at him with fear. Blaine managed to give a pathetic half smile, urging him into the room and reassuring he'd be right behind him. Reed hesitantly walked forward, slowly.

He turned to Shane once they were alone." What is it?" he asked, finding it hard to look his brother in the eye.

"I'm scared," was the only answer he was given. Blaine was soon drowning in guilt. He knew Shane was scared; he was too.

He swallowed, looking at the wall and back. "Of what?"

Shane shrugged, not noticing any of Blaine nervous habits that revealed he was lying. "I just… I don't know." His face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't know what's going on. Reed is acting so strange. Earlier he didn't want me to touch him and now as soon as I walk through the door, he grabs onto me, crying pretty damn hard. This time he didn't want me to let go. I don't get it. Am I missing something here?"

He looked back at Blaine who was trying hard to keep composed. He had never felt so guilty. "I don't know." He shrugged tightly, trying to appear as confused as Shane did. "Maybe he just feels guilty for acting weird earlier when he was sick." He knew this was a lame excuse but he didn't have any idea what to say.

Shane's eyebrows drew together. "But why would he cry that hard just for that? That doesn't make sense."

Blaine shrugged again. "Maybe he's still kind of sick."

The words didn't appear to have any comforting effect on Shane whatsoever. He looked back at his brother, worry evident in his eyes. "I know I don't have every class with him so I don't get to see him a lot in school." He looked down, still feeling just as uneasy as ever. When he glanced back up he was staring straight into Blaine's eyes. "Can you please look after him?"

Blaine felt like a giant black hole had just swallowed him, crushing his lungs and making it impossible to breathe. The guilt he felt only deepened and he struggled to get air into his lungs.

"Yes," he finally agreed. "I'll look after him." As he echoed back his brother's words he wondered just how good of a job he was doing of that. He was already trying to, and it looked like so far, he was failing.

* * *

><p>As soon as he stepped into the classroom he could immediately see Reed was there, waiting for him in the corner of the room by the door. Quite a few people were out of their seats, the twins making such a ruckus, as their Calculus teacher wasn't anywhere to be seen.<p>

"What did he say?" Reed asked anxiously and Blaine could tell he was still trying hard not to cry. The tear streaks on his cheeks were fresh.

"He's just worried. Don't worry," he added when saw Reed's expression. "He's still as clueless as ever."

Reed just frowned, looking down at his expensive shoes. "I'm so stupid," he whispered. "What was I thinking, crying like that?"

Blaine grimaced. "Don't blame yourself. It's logical that you'd be scared, being in the same building as–" He stopped talking immediately, kicking himself for bringing it up.

Reed was looking back up at him, eyes wide and filled with terror. When a dazed look crossed his face and his eyes unfocused, staring on at nothing, Blaine started to panic. Flashbacks. It was one of the things he had read about. Whenever something specific about the attack was mentioned there was a possibility of Reed reliving it. That was what happened in the bathroom last night when Blaine tried to put medicine on Reed's back.

He knew what to do, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Reed!" he grabbed onto his shoulders and gave a single hard shove. "Reed, listen to me. You are not back there, you are safe. You're with me, Blaine and we're in Calculus. You're completely safe, no one is going to hurt you I swear."

Reed's eyes came back to life but they were flooding over, tears spilling down his cheeks. He gasped, throwing his hands over his mouth, scared that he would make noise that would draw in unnecessary attention. He thanked God Kurt didn't have this class with them and wasn't able to witness this.

"Why does that keep happening?" He looked devastated and Blaine knew there wasn't a single thing he could do to make him feel better.

He didn't have a chance to answer as the teacher finally arrived, strolling passed them and ordering everyone to get in their seats.

Blaine made his way to his desk that was one row over and one seat behind Reed's. When he got there he noticed Reed was just standing, staring at his chair with his eyebrows pulled together.

It dawned on him then. Sitting down would most likely still hurt and the plastic the chair was made of wasn't exactly soft. Doing the only thing he could think of, he shrugged his blazer off, noticing that Reed wasn't wearing his seeing as its buttons were still ripped off. He handed it to Reed who took it, looking grateful before dropping it into the seat of his chair, trying to make it as fluffy as possible. It still sent bouts of ripping pain through his body when he sat, but at least it wasn't as bad as it could be.

He wasn't aware that just a couple of feet away the twins were watching, studying him with raised eyebrows.

* * *

><p>Reed stared at his paper with tired eyes. It been nearly thirty minutes since they were issued a pop quiz on the material they had learned in the beginning of the week. He looked over the math problems blankly, the paper mirroring his expression. He hadn't filled out a single answer. He couldn't concentrate enough to do so. He was barely even reading the questions, forgetting every word the second he read it.<p>

It was with absolutely no emotion that he handed the test in, the paper still completely void of writing savor his name at the top. He knew his grade was going to suffer because of this but he didn't care.

He just didn't care.

* * *

><p>He had done an excellent job at keeping his mind clear for the remainder of his morning classes. He hadn't managed to think about <em>it <em>at all. Actually he hadn't managed to think of anything. Any work that was supposed to be done in any of his classes went untouched. He couldn't focus on anything. But again, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Blaine never left his side, but there was no words exchanged. Not until they were headed to lunch. Kurt was chatting to him happily, and Blaine trying to appear interested but he couldn't stop his eyes from trailing back to Reed who stood beside Shane a couple paces ahead of him. His arms were wrapped around his torso and he was cowering into himself. Shane was watching him with concern.

He suddenly stopped walking when they reached the entrance to the lunch room, Shane stopping as well. Blaine stepped forward, immediately intent on being in control this time.

"Hey," he spoke to Shane and Kurt, voice full of false optimism. "Why don't you guys go save us a table, we'll get you food."

Kurt halted, staring at Blaine with slightly narrowed eyes. "Why?"

"Just looks kind of crowded today." He threw in a fake laugh for good measure.

"O… kay," Kurt walked by them, silently studying the two as he passed. Shane followed but not before squeezing Reed's hand.

As soon as they disappeared into the room, Blaine's smile fell. He turned back to Reed, staring into his frightened eyes.

"Reed, listen to me." He hardened his voice, making sure Reed understood what he was about to say. "I know you're scared. You think you might see him in there don't you?" Reed nodded timidly, his eyes looking passed Blaine and into the room. "I can't guarantee you won't, but _if _you do _tell me._ Do you understand?"

His eyes flickered back to Blaine's determined ones. "Okay," he whispered. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't though. He didn't think he could take it. It was terrifying him just thinking about it.

"Okay." Blaine agreed, grabbing onto the smaller boy's hand and pulling him gently into the room.

Kurt's eyes widened from where he was waiting for the rest of the conspirators with Shane who was being unusually quiet. His breath hitched as he watched Blaine enter the room, holding onto Reed's hand, guiding towards the line of people waiting for food.

Hearing the gasp, Shane asked, "What?"

"Look at them," Kurt said, discreetly pointing to where the two stood across the room. "What is that about?" Shane felt his eyes grow as well once he spotted his brother and his boyfriend holding hands. "And why did it take so long for them to enter the cafe? What were they doing out there?"

Kurt started to ponder this over while Shane's thoughts turned to a place far different.

"Has anything else like this happened?" he asked, feeling his voice quiver.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. They've been getting closer." Kurt met Shane's eyes. "Last night when I found Reed it was because he was in our bathroom. With Blaine. Blaine came out first and then Reed appeared, carrying a pillow. I mean what is that about? And then this morning after I got dressed I walked in on them in an embrace." He looked back to the table, a single perfect brow raised. "It's all very suspicious."

It was suspicious. And Shane was beginning to piece together a plausible explanation for everything. His jaw clenched and his eyes started misting over. No wonder Reed had grabbed onto him, breaking down in tears and making Shane promise he wouldn't leave him. He was feeling guilty. Guilty because he cheating on him with his own brother.

* * *

><p>Reed sat the extra food down in front of his boyfriend before sitting down next to him. The look of pain he sported went he sat when unnoticed by everyone.<p>

"Thanks." Shane's voice was harsh and he didn't sound grateful at all. Reed froze. He blinked at Shane slowly, trying to read his stoic expression.

"Are…" he began, voice shaking. "Are you mad at me?" He was fearing the worst. What if Shane had miraculously found out? What if he hated him now?

Shane reluctantly glanced down, instantly observing how scared he looked. Seeing Reed's fear broke through his despair.

"No," he answered honestly, his voice considerably softer. What did he know anyways? It wasn't like he was one hundred percent certain Reed was cheating on him. Besides he would never want to hurt him like that would he? Would Blaine? And even if he did, Shane would never hate him. Never.

Reed swallowed and looked down at the table. He didn't speak anymore. Neither did Shane. Shane ate in silence. Reed didn't eat at all. He didn't even pick at or play with his food. He sat completely still, staring at nothing and face blank. It wasn't until one of the twins noticed that Reed looked up.

"Dormouse," Evan said pointing to Reed's tray. "You haven't eaten anything."

"You haven't touched your food at all," Ethan added.

They both felt startled when Reed looked at them, his eyes making it seem as though he wasn't even present. They were completely void.

"I'm not hungry." His voice sounded like his eyes looked.

They both dropped it, sinking back and looking at each other with identical expressions. Kurt's eyes were closed into slits as he looked thoughtful. Shane looked worried, like he was about to be sick.

Blaine noticed their reactions and shuffled nervously. At least Wes, David, and Dwight were arguing, completely oblivious to the event that had all the rest of them suspecting. They were all suspicious now.

Blaine gulped.

* * *

><p>Reed had remained in his catatonic state the rest of the day. The only time when he seemed to snap out of it was in the hall. His eyes scanned through every group of boys they passed. He was terrified he'd see <em>him. <em>But as he walked into his second to last class he hadn't yet.

At least this was study hall and he didn't have to worry about doing anything. Absolutely no work was accomplished in any of his classes so far and he was sure that, for today, it would remain that way.

He entered the class, walking closer to Blaine than Shane who had been acting unusual ever since lunch. He didn't know why, but it made him nervous. This was the only class he had with him.

Blaine moved to his seat behind Reed and beside Kurt. Shane sat beside his boyfriend, looking to the desk and refusing to speak. He glanced up when he noticed Blaine hand Reed his blazer who took it, looking thankful. He clenched his jaw again. What was that about? It only confused him further when Reed did nothing more than put it in his chair.

Kurt's eyebrows rose from where he was sitting behind Shane, watching with the same confusion. None of this made any sense. He was desperately trying to come up with any solution he could. He had once thought the same thing Shane was thinking now, especially when he saw the two of them come out of that bathroom. But he ultimately decided that even if Blaine did ever cheat on him, he would never do that to his brother. It seemed so uncharacteristic for Reed as well. He focused instead on what they were hiding, knowing the chance of unfaithfulness was slim.

Still, their behavior was odd. Especially this.

They were free to work on any homework they needed and Shane doesn't miss how Reed chooses to sit there, staring at the wood of his desk instead. He tried to concentrate on working but his thoughts kept drifting back to the boy who sat beside him, looking like a withdrawn shell of the person he was yesterday. Was he really feeling that guilty for cheating?

_No,_ Shane thought to himself, _There's no way he's cheating on you. It has to be something else._

Students in the back started whispering, and soon it was like a chain reaction. Everyone started murmuring among their friends. The teacher called out a warning, telling everyone to be quiet.

Reed barely blinked, he didn't notice the whispering around him. He was lost in his thoughts again, the same thoughts he'd been lost in the entire day. The only thing they revolved around was keeping his head clean. It seemed like he was thinking an endless mantra of

_Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it._

A book slamming down finally caused him to jump, snapping out of it. He looked up just in time for the students to get loud again and the teacher to finally snap, "What did I say about being quiet?"

He froze. The whole classroom noise melted away and they only thing he could hear was the moaning and grunting from behind him. He could feel the pain ripping through his lower half and the stinging of a blade pressed to his back with a husky voice accompanying it.

_What did I say about keeping quiet?_

He could feel his body trembling as the tears started to fall again. He screamed loudly, trying to shake the feeling and predator away. "No!"

His shout rang through the air and all the movement in the classroom stopped, every eye turning to him. Blaine's stomach churned with panic. Shane could only stare, completely shocked. Kurt barely moved; he sat trying to make sense of what just happened.

Reed seemed to snap out of it the minute he screamed. He was panting, looking around at all the wide eyes that watched in in surprise. He jumped up, running out of the room and leaving all his stuff behind. He didn't care about it, he just needed out of that room.

Blaine was up before anyone else, chasing after him, calling, "Reed! Reed wait!"

Kurt stared after him. He had still barely moved an inch, he was too stunned. That single 'no' was all it took for things to start to click into place.

Shane was still paces behind though as he sat, watching after his brother and boyfriend in shock. He was supposed to be the one who chased after Reed. That was a boyfriend's job. Which meant only one thing. He was right.

He swallowed the ache in his throat that meant he was on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe his own brother would actually mess around with his boyfriend.

But what else could it be?


	4. Theories

**Well here's chapter 4. I have nothing to say except please don't hate me.**

* * *

><p><em>And the worst part is<em>

* * *

><p>Reed was running, his feet pounding on the floor and echoing, the only sound in the otherwise deadly silent halls. That changed when Blaine threw the door open, looking around before he spotted Reed running into one of the bathrooms.<p>

"Reed! Wait!" he set off, sprinting after him. He crashed into the bathroom door, nearly stumbling in due to his haste.

"Reed!" he stopped, freezing when he saw him, sitting by the sinks, holding onto his knees that were drawn up to his chest and shaking. He couldn't see his face but judging by the way his body was trembling he was almost certain he was crying.

"Reed," he spoke softly now, walking into the room slowly. "Are you okay?"

It shocked him when Reed answered, his voice high pitched and strained. "No! I'm not okay!"

He was nearly shouting and Blaine couldn't move. He couldn't think of anything to say, or do. But when Reed started gasping, sobs making it difficult to breathe, he stepped forward, moving to sit beside him, wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulders. He wasn't required to speak though as Reed was soon whispering.

"God," he shifted so that he wasn't putting all the weight on his backside. "Why does it have to hurt so bad? Why does it _still _hurt so bad?" He squirmed for another minute before giving up. "I can't even sit down…"

Blaine suddenly realized what he was talking about. He jumped up slightly, moving to sit in front of Reed, hovering so he could stare into his eyes.

"Reed." His voice was more pressed than Reed had ever heard it and he was suddenly afraid of what Blaine was going to say. "You. Need. A. Doctor." He said each word slowly like he was trying to make Reed see the importance of every one.

He shook his head, closing his eyes to stop the falling of even more tears. "No. I can't go to a doctor, don't you get it?" His eyes opened then and Blaine leaned back, shocked by the fire that was present in his gaze. "A doctor will know what happened, they'll make me tell."

Blaine knew that was probably true, but still. "Not necessarily." The glare Reed was giving him startled him more than anything causing him to stammer on his next words. "I mean they might not. I don't think they can tell without permission." At least that's what he hoped.

Reed shook his head again. "I'm a minor. They'd have to." He inhaled, his breathing still somewhat shaky.

Blaine swallowed, mentally preparing for the aftermath of his next words. "So? Even if they do tell don't you think it'd be better to know you're healthy and okay than to just be hoping you are?" Reed's eyes were made of stone again and Blaine regretted asking. "Well." He tried to think of another way to figure this out. "Can't you just tell me what's wrong? You haven't, not really. And maybe I could help."

Reed's eyes were beginning to soften and he was soon looking at the ground, a blush tinting his cheeks. His eyes were swimming when he answered. "I don't want to tell you."

Embarrassment was apparent in his voice and Blaine shifted uncomfortably. "Why not?"

"Because!" Reed answered, looking frantic and scared. "You already know everything. And that's humiliating."

Blaine leaned forward trying to look into Reed's downcast eyes. "You don't have to feel embarrassed about anything. It's not your fault."

He could see Reed's bottom lip quivering and knew the breakdown was coming before it did. Reed's breaths were becoming battered again, and he tried his best to talk passed the sobs. "Yes it is." His voice sounded so agonizing it made Blaine's heart hurt. He continued speaking before Blaine had the chance to interrupt. "I was too weak. I let it happen because I was too weak to fight him off."

He broke down crying again and Blaine had to grit his teeth. "Listen to me Reed. It is not your fault. You were not too weak. It could happen to anyone. Anyone. No matter how strong they are." Reed said nothing, only continued to cry, hiding his face behind his closed fists. "And you don't have to feel embarrassed for telling me anything. I want to know. You shouldn't feel embarrassed."

He waited while Reed tried to calm some of his shaking. He finally attempted to speak, a couple of sobs interrupting his words. "I-it just hurts. So much."

"What hurts?" Blaine asked, although he had a vague idea.

Reed sniffed before answering. "Everything! And I don't just mean emotionally. My stomach hurts." Blaine remembered the reddening skin above his belly button that was beginning to bruise. "My side hurts." How could he forget the gash on his hip that he needed to bandage? "My face hurts." He could make out the purple spot on his cheek that looked slightly swollen. "My back hurts." The image of about ten red welts that stood out of Reed's skin drastically would forever be engraved in Blaine's mind. "My legs hurt." Blaine had to stop there. What was wrong with Reed's legs? He was about to ask when Reed continued talking. "My… my…" He stopped, breaking down into another fit of sobs. Blaine didn't need him to say it. He knew where he was going with that statement. It made all the rage he felt for the incident flow back. He had so far been successful at keeping all the fury bottled in. After all, Reed needed him and he had to make sure he didn't lose his temper around him and act on all the anger he felt. But his wall started to crumble when Reed began whispering again, mumbling something Blaine couldn't make out. But he was sure he heard the word 'blood.'

"Wait," he started, causing Reed to look up at him through wet eyelashes. "Did you just say there was blood?"

This time Reed didn't answer, looking back down and shifting his weight. That told Blaine everything he needed to know. His jaw tensed as he reached out, grabbing Reed's arm and pulling him up.

"That's it." His voice was hard, eyes narrowed in determination. "I'm taking you to a doctor." He was very aware of every ounce of panic that sifted off Reed in waves. He knew he was probably going to start crying again, but this was serious. If Reed was bleeding because of this…

"No!" Reed cried, trying to pull his hand away from the boy who now had successfully hauled him to his feet.

"Yes! What if you're seriously hurt? What if you need stitches or something?" Blaine held onto to Reed's squirming arm, trying to pull him forward.

"No! I don't! It's not that bad!" He tried to vainly pull his wrist back, planting his feet to the ground, ready to fight his way out of Blaine's grasp. "I'm not going to the doctor, I'm not! I'd rather die than have someone look at me there!"

That caused Blaine to loosen his grip. He knew how Reed must feel, but this was important. "I know it's embarrassing but you might actually be hurt. We have to get help."

Reed had finally managed to wiggle his wrist free, jerking his hand back and standing his ground.

"I said no!"

Blaine stopped breathing, the anger leaving his system and only replaced by guilt. He knew Reed said no. He probably said no a lot of times. And that thought made his guilt surge. He knew not to try to force Reed to do anything, and this was why.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, breaking the heavy silence. "I shouldn't have done that. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Reed relaxed a little but not fully. His voice was shaking when he started speaking. "I don't want to go. They'd tell and no one can know."

"But why? Why can't they know?"

"Because they just can't!" His eyes shifted back to the ground and Blaine could tell he was beginning to cry again.

"Reed," he sighed, looking at his shoes. "No one is going to hate you because you were raped. Especially Shane."

He could see the way Reed visibly flinched at the word, staring at the ground and refusing to meet Blaine's eyes.

He chose to drop the subject. He didn't want to see Reed cry again. But he desperately wanted Reed to understand that nobody, specifically Shane, would ever think less of him because of this, and no one would blame him.

Reed's head was a mess of emotion. He was mortified he had screamed out during class, drawing so much negative attention to himself; humiliated he just had this conversation with Blaine; scared Blaine would bring up the doctor again; and terrified that he was wrong about what he just said. He knew would happen if they found out. They _would _hate him. Especially Shane.

He could never find out.

He was probably already suspicious as it was.

* * *

><p>And Shane was suspicious. But for reasons that were far off the mark of truth. He spent the rest of the class sitting there, trying to fight back tears and come up with any sort of other explanation. It had to be something else, anything else. Reed could not be cheating on him, and certainly not with Blaine. They would never do that to him …would they? He shook the thoughts away. Of course not. There had to be something else, something he was missing.<p>

The bell rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. He scurried out his seat, running out the door and down the hall. He had to find Reed and find out what that was all about. He couldn't be cheating, he just couldn't.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he found the boy in question, clutching onto Blaine's hand as they both exited a nearby bathroom.

Saying nothing, he abruptly turned around, stalking down the opposite end of the corridor, trying to keep his emotions under control. He felt like the world had just stopped turning.

Neither Blaine nor Reed was even aware he had been there as they turned to go back and collect their things from Study Hall. They both stayed silent, Reed refusing to discuss anything that had previously been mentioned, Blaine too embarrassed to.

As soon as they entered the deserted classroom they could immediately see they weren't alone. Blaine let Reed's hand fall limp as soon as he saw Kurt, standing at his desk and smiling.

"Hey," he greeted appearing completely at ease. "I figured you'd be back so I stayed to watch over your stuff." He gestured to the books on both of their desks and Blaine's blazer still lying in the smaller boy's seat.

Blaine had to swallow before he could reply. "Oh. Um thanks." Even he could tell his attempt to smile was pathetic.

But Kurt appeared oblivious as he remained carefree… too carefree…

Reed walked forward and, without another word to either of them, scooped his things up and left, handing Blaine his blazer as he passed by, leaving the two boys alone in the room.

After watching him go, Blaine turned back to face Kurt and instantly froze. The cheerful smile that had been on his face had completely vanished leaving his eyes looking hard as stone as they stared Blaine down. Blaine was unable to move or say anything as Kurt stepped forward, walking up to stand directly in front of him. The height difference between them was suddenly obvious as it seemed Kurt was peering down at him, making him feel a thousand times smaller.

"After class," he started, eyes narrowing as he continued to speak in a voice that matched his eyes. "We need to talk."

Blaine wasn't given the opportunity to respond, not that he had anything to say. Kurt turned, exiting the room and leaving Blaine standing there, visibly shivering with panic.

* * *

><p>Kurt had spent the rest of Study Hall in deep thought too, just like Shane. His thoughts were turning to a place much darker though. He sat there, going over every piece of evidence he had gathered, trying to come up with every possible explanation. He really hoped it wasn't what he was thinking… He didn't know what he'd do if someone had hurt Reed. But he didn't know for sure. He had to talk to Blaine first, and this time he was going to get the truth out of him. He had to make sure he wasn't just imagining all this. And he was almost one hundred percent certain that Blaine was in on the secret. He had to be.<p>

So as Kurt sauntered off to his last class of the day, it was with thoughts that revolved around Reed and how much he hoped he wrong.

* * *

><p>As Shane trudged down the halls and out the main building doors, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started dialing with shaking hands. He decided to just fuck his last class, he couldn't focus anyways and he needed to do something to convince him he was wrong. He lifted the phone to his ear after punching in the correct number and waited with baited breath, leaning up against the side of the building.<p>

"Hello?"

Once he heard the greeting he could hold it in no longer. His voice shook as he finally let the annoying tears fall, swiping them away angrily the second they did.

"Shane?" the voice sounded alarmed now. "What's wrong?"

"He's cheating on me!" Shane practically cried, not caring how loud his voice was.

"What?"

"He's cheating on me!" Shane repeated sounding just as wounded. "He's cheating on me, I know he is!" He hid his tear streaked face behind his other hand as he waited for the response.

"Reed? Reed is cheating on you?" The voice was laced with disbelief.

"Yes Reed! And with Blaine too!"

A sigh was heard from the other end of the line followed by the familiar voice that now sounded tired. "Okay. What brought this delusion on?"

Shane almost screamed. "It's not a delusion, I'm fucking serious!"

Micah almost the dropped the book he was holding, startled by Shane's new tone. He laid the book down on his leg, careful not to drop it, and sat up a little straighter. "Okay." He began talking again, voice somewhat softer but trying to make Shane see sense. "Should I begin my three part speech about how this is the craziest theory you've ever had?"

Shane gasped, trying to get ahold of himself and keep it together. "Yeah. Go."

"Okay one. Probably most obvious is Blaine is your brother. We both know him, we both know who he is, and we both know he'd never do something like that to you. We both also know that he is crazy for Kurt and would never want to hurt him. Correct?"

Shane nodded but then realized Micah couldn't see him and managed a small "Yeah."

"Okay so two. This is Reed we're talking about," Micah said reasonably. "Didn't you say it took him months to even work up the courage to hold your hand, and it took even longer for him to kiss you? Can you honestly tell me that you think someone as timid as Reed would even look at another person the way he looks at you, much less kiss or hold them?"

Shane almost allowed himself to feel better over that. He knew he was Reed's first. His first crush, his first love, his first romantic embrace, his first kiss, and if Reed allowed it, he would be his first sexual experience too. But he had seen too much; there were too many things to be suspicious over for this thought to comfort him.

"And so three," Micah continued. "I haven't known Reed for very long but I know him well enough to know for a fact that not only is everything I just said true, but also that despite all his hesitance in the beginning, he's crazy about you. He loves you. And he would never do anything that would jeopardize losing you. Trust me, I can attest to that, judging by the way he yelled at me when he thought I was going to take you away from him."

That was a surprise. Shane blinked. He had no idea that even happened. "He did?"

Micah almost laughed. "Yeah. He shouted at me, talking about how he wasn't going to let me take you away now that he finally had you." He paused to let the words sink into Shane's stunned mind. "So I know he would never give you up, purposely or otherwise. He wouldn't cheat, and certainly not with your brother. Do you really think that sounds like something Reed would do?"

Shane let out a breath, nearly sighing. "No. I guess not." He was glad that Micah was smart, and that he also almost always seemed to know exactly what Shane needed to hear. "Thanks."

Micah smiled, picking his book back up. "Don't mention it. Now I don't know what made you think this, but I suggest you get out there and figure out what's really wrong. Find out the truth and stop stressing yourself out over this because I can pretty much guarantee that it's not what you're thinking."

He nodded again, not caring that Micah couldn't see him. "Okay. Okay yeah. I'll try."

"Tell me what it really was when you find out. I'd like to know what it was that made you think Reed would actually cheat on you."

The corner of Shane's mouth turned up. "Alright. Thanks Micah."

"No problem." Even as he hung up, Micah let the curiosity eat at him. He knew there was no way Reed would ever be unfaithful, but he couldn't help that part of him that wondered if it was true, or at the very least what was going on. He still loved Shane. But he let go and gave him up because he knew Shane was in love with someone else who loved him back just as much. He didn't think Reed would ever hurt him, but he had no idea what he'd do if he did.

Shane continued to lean against the wall and just breathe. He didn't plan on going back to class. He would just sit out here and think, think about all the things that made him suspect Reed was cheating in the first place. He needed there to be another explanation. There had to be. After realizing everything Micah had said was true, he also realized how badly he needed his theory to be wrong. He couldn't lose Reed. He couldn't.

* * *

><p>Reed's body was trembling but he couldn't stop it. Flashbacks were vastly becoming his least favorite thing in the world. Reliving what happened was just as bad as experiencing it the first time, even if it was just in bits and pieces that only lasted a couple of seconds. He didn't want to think about it for even one, much less relive it. But that was what had just happened as he stared up at the threatening building. Art was his last class of the day, and while it used to make him happy now it made him cower in terror. This was where <em>it <em>happened. Just seeing the Art Hall brought on a flashback, what if he actually went in? He knew it was foolish to think that walking into the building would automatically make it happen again, but he couldn't help but feel that way. And if it didn't happen, just thinking about being in the room alone made him want to run. He couldn't go back in that building, he couldn't, he _wouldn't!_

"Reed?" A deep voice brought him out of his thoughts, making him scream before he whipped his head around to see who had spoken. He froze instantly. Oh god. What did _he_ want?

"Reed?" he repeated. "Are you alright? Why are standing out here alone? Shouldn't you be in class?" Logan shifted his bag, narrowing his eyes a little in curiosity.

Reed swallowed. He forgot that he had Art with Logan. Logan was actually the only person he knew very well in the class, but even though he knew him, they'd still never had a proper conversation.

"Oh. Um." He stumbled over his words. He didn't have an excuse prepared for why he wouldn't be in the class, and he knew he wouldn't be, so he decided to lie. "I- I'm going. I just… forgot something in my last class. So I'll be late." He tried to smile but Logan only raised an eyebrow at his expression and he could immediately tell Logan knew it was fake.

"Alright," Logan said slowly, brow still quirked. He watched as Reed scurried off, limping at he did. He chose not to comment on the fact that Reed was walking in the direction of Windsor instead of the building his class would have been in, blatantly announcing that he was lying. He stood there for a moment. He himself was late to the class and when he arrived in front of the Art Hall, he stopped when he saw Reed, who appeared to be staring at the building without really seeing it. It was startling to watch him gasp for breath when he finally came to, panting as he stood there shaking. Logan had watched him for a couple seconds before finally interrupting his train of thought by calling his name. Watching Reed scream because of that was a little weird too, as was the conversation that followed. He had no idea what was going on, and he didn't know Windsor's Dormouse very well, but he did know that he sure was acting peculiar.

Logan shook the thoughts away. It wasn't like he was exactly best friends with the guy. What did he know anyways? Well, he did know that Reed was easily the most artistic in the class, maybe even the whole school, so him wanting to skip his favorite class would only add to the abnormality.

He shrugged. So Reed was acting strange? How did that concern him?

* * *

><p>Shane was sitting on the ground, still leaning against the brick of the building, staring blankly at the trees in front of him. He had been sitting here for nearly an hour, lost in thoughts of trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He knew Micah was right, everything he said made sense. But that meant that there was something else going on. But what? He had no idea. All he knew was Blaine and Reed were becoming attached and Reed was acting unusually moody, not to mention what happened in the classroom. If Shane had even considered that he was imagining it all, what happened in Study Hall erased that thought completely. Something was definitely going on. And he needed to find out what.<p>

He glanced down at the phone in his hand, noticing there was only five minutes until class was over for the day. He stretched, standing up and pocketing his phone, walking towards the direction of the Art Hall. He figured that if he wanted to find out some truth, he'd need to get Reed alone when Blaine wasn't around to answer for him, which he'd noticed had been happening.

His thoughts immediately trailed back to his previous theory. If they were messing around with each then of course Blaine would want to do all talking. Everyone knew Reed wasn't exactly the best liar, so it would make sense that Blaine would be the one to lie for him, to make sure they weren't caught.

_No! Stop thinking about that! Reed is _not _cheating on you. So stop dwelling on that and focus on finding out what's really wrong._

He stopped walking as soon as he arrived in front of the large, glass building, shoving his hands into his pockets and standing casually, waiting for the mass of people that would come running out the second they were dismissed.

As soon as this happened, he stepped back, eyes scanning the group of boys for any sign of strawberry curls.

His eyebrows pulled together and he bit his lip. Reed wasn't here. He was about to run to check Windsor when he spotted the only person he could immediately recognize in the group, exiting the building last as mostly everyone else was gone by now.

"Logan!"

Logan blinked up, a small amount of surprise flashing in his eyes when he saw Shane standing there, watching him with his arms crossed.

"What do you want?"

Shane huffed. "I'm not here to pester you. I just have a question." Logan raised his eyebrows, looking impatient. "You have Art with Reed right?" At Logan's nod, he continued. "Where is he?"

Logan shrugged loosely. "I don't know. I saw him outside before class started but he said he forgot something in his last class so he'd be late. He never showed up."

Worry started to work its way back into Shane's confused mind. He never showed up? Where'd he go then? Was he okay?

"Thanks." He was running back to Windsor before Logan could even reply.

* * *

><p>Blaine threw the doors open, rushing into the common room, eyes searching over the room. He stopped as soon as he saw Reed, curled up on the couch and laying on his side, staring on with no emotion in his eyes.<p>

"Reed." Blaine spoke softly even though they were the only two in the room. "I got your message. What's wrong?"

Blaine had left class a couple minutes early, making some excuse of feeling sick as soon as he got the text from Reed.

But Reed didn't answer, he didn't even look like he had heard the question.

Blaine stepped forward, walking to the couch slowly. He sat down, kneeling on the floor so he could look into Reed's vacant eyes.

"How come you didn't go to Art? Isn't that your favorite class?"

Reed's eyes squeezed shut. He didn't want to think about that class, that building. "I'm never going back," he whispered hoarsely, keeping his eyes closed.

Shock started swirling around Blaine's confused mind. "But why?"

He could see Reed wincing, trying to press his face into the cushion of the couch, like he was trying to hide. "I'm never going back in that building."

Blaine sank back, feeling more confused than ever. There was no way Reed would ever hate anything artistic, so why would he refuse to go to the class? Unless there was something forcing him away…

"Reed," Blaine spoke slowly as realization hit, "Is that where it happened? In the Art Hall?"

His face pressed harder into the cushion and Blaine wouldn't have been able to tell he was crying if his body didn't start shaking. His hands clutched onto the couch as his crying got louder, sobs now clearly audible. Blaine reached forward, rubbing his side gently, careful not to graze the wounds on his back.

This told Blaine that he was correct in his assumption. He wasn't sure how this made him feel. Horrified for one. How could _that _happen in a place that was virtually nirvana for Reed? It didn't seem possible. Or fair. But then again, what part of this was in any way fair?

"It's okay. You don't have to go back there." He knew exactly how hard it would be for that to happen, so if course he didn't expect it to.

Reed said nothing, only continued to cry into the cushion, hiding his tears. Blaine instantly leaned over, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders loosely, laying over him in some sort of half hug.

It was that exact moment that the doors banged open, announcing the arrival of the first person back from class. Blaine jumped up, staring at the person in the door way in surprise.

Shane stared back, just as stunned. As soon as he saw Blaine and Reed huddled together he stopped dead in his tracks, staring on with wide eyes.

_They… they're together… hugging_

Shane bit the inside of his lip, reminding himself of everything that Micah said earlier.

_They can't be together, they can't. _His thought faded away the second he realized Reed was peeking up at him, eyes watery and cheeks wet. So he was crying again? Why?

He rushed forward, all thoughts of the scene he had intruded on completely vanishing now that he was aware Reed was crying.

"Hey." He dropped to his knees, taking Blaine place on the floor beside him now that Blaine was standing up, collecting his things and slowly backing out of the room. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He knew there must be something. After all he had never seen Reed cry before, and now here he was, crying for the second time that day.

Reed provided no answer, hiding his face once more.

Shane glanced up to ask Blaine only to find he was gone. He pursed his lips, looking back at the crying boy on the couch.

"Reed," he spoke softly again, stroking Reed's curls. "Please look at me."

Thankfully he complied, peeking up through his hair, only eyes visible. Shane could see all the fear swimming in those brown eyes. It scared him significantly. And there was nothing he could do to take it away unless Reed told him what was wrong.

He sighed, looking down briefly before moving to grab onto Reed's hands, pulling him up so he could see into his eye level. Reed winced went he was forced to sit up, and Shane must have missed the pain that flashed in his eyes. If he saw it, he didn't comment.

"Look. I know something weird is going on. You just don't cry for nothing. And this is twice in one day."

_If _only _it was twice in one day, _Reed thought bitterly.

Shane bit onto his lip, pausing as he looked down. When he glanced back up Reed sank back a little, startled. There was so much hurt and desperation in Shane's expression it made Reed nearly drown in guilt. It was his fault. Everything was his fault.

"Reed. You know you can tell me anything right?"

Shane stopped speaking there but Reed could hear the "so please tell me what's wrong. I desperately need to know" without him even saying it. He gulped, avoiding Shane's eyes. This only made him feel worse. But there was nothing he could do about it. He knew he could tell Shane anything, but this, this was impossible. He allowed himself to picture it for a moment, the words practically bubbling in his throat. A part of him wanted to scream and shout, to yell out the truth so he could finally stop lying, finally feel some sort of relief.

_I was raped, don't you get it! Someone hurt me in the worst possible way!_

But he didn't. He couldn't. He would rather keep lying to him than tell him something that would make him react in rage.

Reed never spoke, so Shane continued. "You can tell me anything, _anything. _And I'll never be mad at you."

Reed's face scrunched up as the tears started to fall once more. He wanted to tell Shane that he was wrong. He wanted to tell him that there was something he could say that would make Shane furious; would make him hate him. But instead he bit his lip, finally glancing into Shane's worried eyes.

"I know," he whispered, and Shane could barely hear him.

"Then is there anything you want to talk about?"

_Like if you're cheating on me with my brother, _Shane involuntarily thought, quickly correcting himself with _No! He isn't! Get off that theory!_

Reed hastily shook his head. "No… no there isn't anything." He could tell Shane wasn't convinced, not at all. "I- I just haven't been feeling well is all."

Shane perked up. "Is that why you didn't go to Art today? Logan told me you never showed up. Is it because you're still sick?" Maybe the reason he was crying was because he was in pain. It seemed farfetched, but Shane was willing to consider it.

Little did he know that he was exactly right, just wrong about the cause.

"Yeah." Reed said, glancing back down so Shane couldn't see the dishonesty in his eyes. "I just felt too bad to go."

"Okay. Well come on." He stood up and extended a hand to the boy who hesitated a moment. "I'll take you up to your bed so you can lie down. Do you have Warbler practice today?" Reed swayed slightly once he was pulled to his feet, shaking his head. Even if he did, he suspected he wouldn't be going. "Well I have dance rehearsal though, so you'll be alone. Is that okay? I'll blow it off if you want me to stay with you."

"No!" Reed spoke too quickly. "I mean. No. You can go. I don't want to keep you from it." He also wanted to be alone. Keeping this from Shane was becoming increasingly difficult. He seemed to know too much.

And he did know too much. Enough to know that there was definitely something more to this than Reed simply feeling sick. But he chose to let it drop for now. Taking care of Reed was more important than interrogating him.

But he knew there was something more than he was being told. And he wasn't going to let it slide.

Maybe he'd get some answers out of Blaine.

* * *

><p>Kurt sat in the uncomfortable library chair, intent to put this short time of privacy to good use. He was seated at a computer, no one else around, which he was grateful for. He needed to do this alone, so he could learn everything he could before someone caught on to what he was doing. He didn't want to draw any attention to this until he knew he was right.<p>

As he made his way up the stairs to his room almost an hour later, his head was swimming with all the new information that he tried to cling on to. He wouldn't allow himself to forget a single thing he read. This was too important.

The first thing he saw when he stepped into his room was the very person he shared the room with, the person he'd been thinking of for the past hour. He was lying on his bed, curled around a pillow, crying.

"Reed!"

Reed jumped at the sound of his name. He was caught off guard when the next thing he knew, Kurt was sitting beside him, wrapping his arms around his frail body tightly. Reed didn't know where this spontaneous act of affection came from but he was somewhat thankful. It felt good to finally be able to cry like this in the presence of someone else, to be comforted instead of judged.

Neither of them said a word, Reed's face buried into the fabric of Kurt's shirt, Kurt just quietly rubbing his side. Reed's eyes were burning now worse than ever. He had cried entirely too much today and it was causing his eyes to sting harshly. There was also the fact that he only got maybe two hours of sleep last night. And after spending the whole day scared, hurt, and crying, all he wanted to do was fall into a world of unconsciousness.

Kurt could feel Reed's body go limp against his. A second later his breaths were deeper and the sobbing had ceased. He figured he'd let him sleep it off. He looked like he needed it. His hand absentmindedly started moving to his back and he could feel the way Reed flinched against him, unconsciously tensing up the second his hand scraped across the sores.

His eyebrow quirked as he let his hand trail down to the hem of Reed's shirt. He doubled checked that Reed was sleeping. After finding those bloody clothes in the garbage bin, he couldn't help but wonder what caused the irregular blood stains on the back of his shirt. His curiosity only spiked when Shane had mentioned Reed saying his back was sore. And now that he had an opportunity to find out, he wasn't going to let it slip away. His hand slowly dragged the cardigan and undershirt out of the way, exposing the pale skin of Reed's back. He wasn't quite prepared for what saw.

The red welts that lined Reed's back hadn't decreased in size. They were still swollen and scarlet, causing Reed throbbing pain anytime he moved his back.

Kurt's eyes widened and he struggled to sit up without waking the sleeping boy, pulling the shirt up higher. His eyes scanned over each mark, all of them wide and looking incredible painful. So this is why the blood on his shirt was only in places and spots. He had clearly been stuck by something hard enough to break his skin, and considering the fact it happened more than once it was most definitely done on purpose. There was no way Reed's clumsiness could have caused this. Someone else had obviously beaten him, and the fact that Kurt had caught him limping several times today only further affirmed it.

Kurt clenched his jaw and tried to keep his emotions under control. This was exactly what he was scared of.

* * *

><p>Kurt closed the door quietly behind him, thankful he had made it off the bed without waking Reed who seemed like he needed the sleep.<p>

He turned around only to find himself staring at the very person he needed to talk to most. Blaine was frozen, staring at his boyfriend completely blank. He was panicking. He had completely forgot about what Kurt had said to him at the end of Study Hall.

And as if on cue Kurt's eyes narrowed and he was advancing on his boyfriend intimidatingly.

"I have to talk to you," he stated simply, grabbing Blaine's arm and pulling him into the tenor's room. He was thankful Shane had dance practice and wasn't there to overhear them.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked but he could feel the thickness in his voice that was broadcasting the fact that he hiding something.

Kurt took a deep breath, preparing for what he was about to say. He still couldn't believe it himself, but the evidence was written all over Reed's back. "I think Reed is getting abused."

Blaine nearly fell backwards from shock. "What?" he gasped an octave higher than normal.

"You heard me." Kurt's eyes were hard. "I think Reed is getting abused by someone. I spent an hour in the library researching abuse victims and he fits the bill to a T. It makes perfect sense with everything that has been happening with him. Wouldn't you agree?"

He studied Blaine's reaction carefully. He could clearly see every ounce of panic that crossed Blaine face. He could also hear the nervous quiver in his voice when he answered, "No. Not at all."

"And why not!" Kurt nearly yelled. "It all fits! Everything single thing is perfectly aligned, don't you think? Unless you know something I don't know…" He trailed off, voice taking a dangerous tone.

Blaine swallowed, looking at his feet. He didn't know what to say. He knew Kurt could read him like a book but he also knew there was no way he could tell the truth.

Kurt sighed, looking down before stepping up to hover over Blaine threateningly. "Blaine. I love you. But if your brother is hurting my best friend and you're covering for him, well I'll have to do something about it."

Blaine almost fell over from shock for the second time. "What? No! No Kurt, it's not like that at all! Do you really think Shane would ever hurt Reed? Especially like that?"

There was no mistaking the honesty in Blaine's eyes and Kurt immediately sank back, somewhat struck by his words. He sighed again. "No. I don't. But it seemed to make sense since I'm now one hundred percent certain that Reeds being hurt by someone and that you seem to know something I don't." He glanced back up at Blaine, eyes narrowing.

Blaine took a single breath, steadying his voice. "No. I don't know any more than you. But I can pretty much guarantee that Shane would never hurt Reed. So we should probably figure out who did."

This seemed the best way to convince Kurt he didn't know anything but he was willing to help. Besides, if Kurt found out on his own without Blaine telling him then he wouldn't really be breaking his promise to Reed would he? He just wanted to do what was right, what was best for everyone. He just wished he knew what that was. This wasn't exactly a simple situation.

Kurt worried his lip, looking thoughtful. "I guess I just automatically jumped to domestic abuse." His eyes met Blaine's and Blaine was relieved to see that they were no longer analyzing him. "I don't know who else it could be. A friend? A teacher? An enemy? What do you think?"

Blaine shrugged. He wasn't sure what to think.

"I just… Are you sure he's being abused? It seems so improbable. Maybe you're imagining it."

Kurt's eyes were stone again as he stepped forward, looking frightening once more. He spoke through clenched teeth. "Why don't you go in there and look at all the damn welts on his back then tell me how much I'm imagining."

Blaine stood rigid, unable to think about anything else except the fact that Kurt now knew entirely too much.

* * *

><p>He stepped through the door slowly. He was still too shocked to do anything. He couldn't believe Kurt knew about Reed's back. He was close to truth it was scary.<p>

Blaine walked over to the sleeping form on the bed, gently pulling his shirt up the same way Kurt had. To him the welts looked worse, probably due to the fact they were the only injury Reed had that Blaine hadn't had the chance to fix.

After pulling his shirt back down, he shook him lightly. "Reed," he whispered. "Reed, wake up."

Reed jolted up, instantly awake. Thankfully he didn't scream or cry out, but the way his eyes were wide with panic, searching around the room suggested that he had been in the middle of nightmare.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked quietly, struggling to sit up and straighten out his clothes.

"Not too long. I just thought we'd take this opportunity to put some medicine on your back. It looks kind of bad." He added quickly.

"You've seen them?" Reed squeaked, pulling his shirt down further.

"Yeah. Just now, while you were sleeping." He chose to leave out the fact that Kurt now knew about them too. He didn't need Reed to freak out over that fact.

Reed's eyes drifted to comforter of his bed, eyebrows pulling together.

Blaine tried his best to manage some kind of half smile, failing. "Come on," he extended a hand. "It won't take long, I promise."

Reed stared at him a minute before finally taking the hand, wincing in pain when he had to stand up. Blaine kept their hands clasped together as he led Reed into the doorway beside his bed, shutting and locking it once they were through.

Reed immediately closed his eyes and turned away from the taller boy before he shrugged off his cardigan, unbuttoning the undershirt slowly after. He didn't really relish the idea of Blaine seeing half naked again, the first time was embarrassing enough.

Blaine didn't mind though, he knew this was really hard for him. So without saying a single word, he walked over to the cabinet, rolling up his sleeves and retrieving the medical kit, starting to dig through, looking for the items necessary. He noticed Reed was standing rigid, refusing to bend over or move, but Blaine chose not to comment on it. He was perfectly capable of doing this while Reed was standing, after all he didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time they attempted this.

The welts looked horrifying, as expected. He couldn't imagine Reed going through anything that would leave a mark like this, but then again he couldn't imagine Reed going through anything that had happened to him. It hurt too much to think about and made him boiling with rage. How anyone could do this to him was still far beyond him.

He wanted badly to ask what exactly caused these welts so that maybe he could get a mental image of what he was dealing with. He chose to bite his tongue. There was no way Reed would ever what to talk about it. But didn't talking about it make people feel better?

"Reed," he nearly whispered, trying to speak as softly as possible. "Can you tell me what caused these?"

Reed's body instantly tensed up and he stayed silent for such a long time that Blaine regretted asking. Maybe talking about it this soon wasn't the best idea.

It surprised him when Reed answered, voice even softer than Blaine's. "My belt."

Blaine blinked. Reed's own belt was used to whip him hard enough to cause wounds like this. It made Blaine want to kill the monster that did this even more, which he hadn't thought possible.

He finished applying the medicine without another word exchanged. He was too angry too talk.

Reed was too embarrassed. He never wanted to talk about this again. And he would do anything to make sure he wouldn't have to. And if that meant he had to keep lying to Shane, then so be it.

* * *

><p>Shane was so anxious to make sure Reed was okay he was taking the stairs two at time. He didn't even bother changing out of his sweaty dance clothes or take his bag to room. All he wanted to do was check on Reed. He hoped he was feeling better. It really hurt to see him in pain.<p>

He pulled the door open, barely even stepping inside when he stopped, freezing in the doorway.

There was the boy he was looking for, stepping out of his bathroom and buttoning his undone white undershirt slowly. It wasn't the fact that he was nearly shirtless that stopped him. It was that not even two seconds later Blaine emerged the same room, following him and pulling down the sleeves of his blazer.

Here was his brother and boyfriend, coming out of a bathroom they'd been alone in for the third time, both in states of undress. It felt like a hard punch to the gut that left him gasping for air. He turned around, swiftly leaving the room before the two even knew he was there.

He threw the door to the room he shared with his so called brother open harshly, unable to believe what he'd just seen. As soon as he was inside, he collapsed on the back of the door, sliding down slowly until he was sitting on floor, pulling out his phone and hitting redial.

As soon as Micah's voice gave a simple greeting, he was crying, stifling his sobs long enough to say only three words.

"You were wrong."

* * *

><p><strong>So as I'm almost positive that Shane will find out the truth in the next chapter, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you how you think he'll reactwhatever along those lines. I'm really curious to see how you guys think it'll happen.**

**I already know exactly how it's going to go down and what's gonna happen and have known since before I even started writing the story. But I really wanna see what you all think and maybe even take it into consideration. **


	5. Confirmation

**My deepest apologies for the wait. This one is twice as long though? Thank you for sticking with it and reviewing. I love you.**

* * *

><p><em>There's no one else to blame<em>

* * *

><p>Micah stopped breathing, almost dropping the phone due to the shock he felt. "What?"<p>

It took a second for Shane to calm down enough to speak. "I said you were wrong. About Reed and Blaine. They are cheating. They- they-" He trailed off as the sobbing started again.

"They what, Shane?" Micah asked softly, patiently waiting for him to control his crying. He was confused, but he wouldn't allow himself to feel any worry until he knew what Shane was talking about. He sincerely hoped Shane was just being hysterical again. He didn't want him to get hurt.

"They were in the bathroom together!" He finally managed, finding it difficult to talk when he was crying so hard.

Micah blinked. "So…?" That wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be.

"So they were both shirtless! Not to mention the fact this is the third time this has happened!"

Okay, maybe it was. Micah sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He thought over his next words carefully, trying to come up with something that would help relieve Shane's stress, maybe convince him that Reed wasn't cheating on him. But even he couldn't deny that he was starting to consider it too.

"Okay, just because they were in a bathroom together doesn't mean they're fooling around."

Shane's grip on the phone tightened. "Are you serious! What else could it mean?"

Micah shrugged even though Shane couldn't see him. "I don't know. Maybe they're hiding something and were just discussing it in private."

"Yeah, they were discussing how they could keep their torrid love affair a secret!"

Micah sighed. "Shane."

"And besides," Shane interrupted, voice frantic. "Why would they need their shirts off to _talk_?"

That's where Micah was stumped. Even he, being who he was and trying so hard to come up with a logical explanation, had to admit that the lack of clothing didn't exactly scream innocent.

"I don't know," he admitted reluctantly. "But we have to take everything I said earlier into account. This is Reed and Blaine. And the fact that they wouldn't ever do this still remains. Why would they want to mess up what they already have?"

Shane sniffed, wiping at his eyes. "I don't know! Maybe they've always had a thing for each other and are just now acting on it?"

"Shane, you're being hysterical. And delusion. Stop looking for problems that aren't there."

Shane's tone turned harsh. "There sure as hell is a problem here, Micah! I don't just mean the times they've been in the bathroom together! Reed has been acting so differently lately. I don't know what to do!"

Micah sat up a little straighter. "Acting differently how?"

* * *

><p>"Does your back feel better?" Blaine asked as Reed climbed onto his bed with a look of pain twisting his features.<p>

"Yes," he mumbled quietly. "Thanks."

Blaine watched him turn the covers down and shove his feet under them with concern. It wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

"Don't you want to put on your pajamas first?" he whispered, scared by the void look Reed was giving him, the look that turned hard the second Blaine asked another question. "Have you even done your homework, yet?"

"Do you really think I care about my stupid homework?"

He shuffled awkwardly. "What about food? You hardly ate lunch. What about dinner? You need to eat."

Reed glared at him, saying nothing.

Blaine sighed, choosing to drop that subject for now and bring up another that had been worrying him. He actually hadn't stopped worrying about it from the second he walked into Reed's room yesterday, the very second everything had changed for the worse, sending his whole world spiraling on a nonstop pivot downward.

"Reed, I'm really scared. I don't have any idea how to help you. Obviously since things have gotten worse, I'm doing a shit job of helping you get better. I'm at a loss here. I don't know what to do for you." He sighed again, preparing for the aftermath of his next words. "I know I've said it before, but we really need to tell someone. How long do you think we can keep it a secret from everyone? From Shane?" Reed's body stiffened at the name and the glaring hadn't ceased. "And as I've just mentioned, I don't know what I'm doing! You need someone who does! Someone who can –"

"Stop!" Reed finally shouted, and Blaine visibly drew back at the malice in his eyes. "We've already talked about this! No one can know! No one! And especially Shane! Don't you understand why!"

"No!" Blaine yelled back, now on edge. "I don't! I don't get why we can't just them or him! Don't _you _get how he feels about you? He'll understand. He won't hate you, none of them will!"

Reed's breathing was becoming heavy and his cold wall finally fell. He was soon gasping, trying to fight off the inevitable sobs, and clutching onto the blanket tightly as his face scrunched up in pain. "Yes, he will!" The tears started falling then, and he quickly glanced away, unwilling to let Blaine see him cry yet again.

Blaine dropped down on the bed, sitting in front of him and trying to put a comforting hand on his heaving body. He just shook it off though, scooting away.

"Don't cry. I'm sorry. I just don't understand how you could ever think Shane would hate you for anything, especially something like this." He took a deep breath, steadying his voice. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault and it's never going to be your fault." Reed's crying intensified to the point he could barely breathe. "And Shane would understand that. He'd never blame you."

Reed said nothing, struggling to breathe properly. He didn't intend on saying anything either. He knew what Blaine was talking about, but he also knew how wrong he was. Shane, along with all the others, would be disgusted if they ever found out. And they would all know who was at fault. Who else but the small, weak person he was? He let this happen. And he knew for a fact that Shane would never forgive him for, once again, not being strong enough. He let the monster in and it was up to him to deal with the consequences.

After a long moment in which neither of them spoke had passed, Blaine sighed.

"Would you at least talk to someone? Professional." He added quickly. "Someone who knows how to handle this. Someone who can help you through it?"

Reed's swollen eyes glanced back to him and he narrowed them slowly. "No." His voice was back to its previous roughness and he sat up, glaring openly. "It's not going to happen. What part of I'm a minor don't you understand? They'll tell my mother. And she can't know either." His eyes drifted away, looking on somewhere distant. "What would she say?" He drew into himself, cowering as he shook.

Blaine was floored at that. He hadn't thought about that. Everyone knew Hilde wasn't the easiest woman to get along with, or persuade. And he already knew what she would say. She_ would_ blame him. She would make him feel even worse about the whole situation. He knew exactly why Reed didn't want her to find out. Now he didn't either. But how could they get Reed professional help if doing that meant Hilde would undoubtedly ruin any and all progress by filling his head with feelings of blame. He could hear her now.

"_How could you let this happen to you, Reed?" "Why didn't you do this, Reed?" "Well you could have done this." "You shouldn't have said that." "You shouldn't have done that." "Why did you even go there?" "You could have prevented that from happening." "What were you wearing? Did you provoke this?" "You were basically asking for this to happen." _

That was the last thing Reed needed to hear. But it would probably be one of the first if she found out. And from his own mother. She wouldn't get it, she would never understand.

So what could they do? Blaine was stuck. Either way they were hopeless.

This was the absolute worst thing to ever happen to any of them. And it had to be Reed.

* * *

><p>He finally managed to calm Reed down, and after he started hiding under his covers, trying to sleep and demanding Blaine leave the room, he had no choice but to go.<p>

He opened his door miserably, feeling completely helpless. There was nothing he could do. And that made him feel even worse than he had the entire day of having to watch Reed suffer.

As soon as he was inside, Shane walked out of their en suit bathroom, dressed in his pajamas and eyes that were rimmed with red. He walked passed Blaine without even a glance in his direction. Blaine wasn't sure if he imagining the icy glare he was given in the split second Shane finally looked to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, stopping in front of his bed.

He wasn't expecting Shane's voice to be so cold when he replied. "Why the hell would you care?"

Blaine's mouth slacked open and he stared at his brother's back with feelings of panic and guilt battling in his stomach. "W-what?"

Shane turned around in a flash, expression matching his voice perfectly. "You heard me! Since when do you care about me?"

Now it was Blaine's turn to feel angry. Hadn't he shown time and time again of putting up with all Shane's whining how much he cared about him?

"What is that supposed to mean? Of course I care about you! You're my brother, how could I not?"

Shane sneered, and Blaine was sure he could see mounds of hurt underneath all Shane's fury. "Some brother." He pulled his blanket off his bed roughly. "I'm staying with Wes and David."

Before he could get to the door Blaine had jumped forward, grabbing onto his shoulder. Shane threw the hand off violently.

"Don't touch me!"

"Hold on!" Blaine shouted back, "What is this about! Why are you so mad at me?"

He stopped breathing as he waited for Shane to respond, fearing the worse, fearing the truth.

Shane just glared at him silently, offering nothing else except a harsh, "Like you don't know."

He was gone, door slamming roughly, before Blaine could even breathe. He stood there frozen, too shocked to go after him. His mind was reeling a thousand thoughts a minute. Did this mean that Shane found out? But no, that was impossible. There was no way for him to know… right? If he found out he'd surely be over there comforting Reed right now though. Then what could he possibly be so mad at? Unless Reed was right and Shane really was mad at him. But he couldn't be! He'd never be mad at Reed for something that wasn't his fault! Hell, he probably wouldn't even be mad if Reed did something that was his fault. So what did he mean by "like you don't know?"

Blaine's head was starting to throb. This situation just took a turn for the worst.

* * *

><p>Arms were curled tightly around the pillow that was rapidly becoming soaked with tears. Reed hadn't stopped crying since Blaine left his room a little over half an hour ago, even though he tried. He tried to keep quiet the moment he heard Kurt return from dinner, he tried to ignore the pain that was still radiating throughout his entire body, but the thing he was trying the hardest to do, and he wasn't doing a very good job, was block out the images that kept flooding into his mind. The second he closed his eyes, ready to fall into unconsciousness, it was the first thing he saw. It always was. And nothing could keep it out.<p>

Scenes from the incident replaying over in his mind, the ghostly feelings of _his _hands on his skin, the pain, it was too much to take and he didn't know how to make it stop.

But since Kurt was now in the room with him he had no choice but to stifle the sobs in his pillow, which had already caught too many of his tears.

Shane's pillow was also catching tears, as he would spend the majority of the night crying silently as well, while Kurt and Blaine would toss and turn, frightful and full of dread and fear.

* * *

><p>Reed's body jerked violently, pulled out of a nightmare that vanished from his memories the second his eyes opened. He was woken by Kurt who was standing over him frowning.<p>

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked and Reed could tell he was being scrutinized.

"Y-yes." He could also tell his pathetic answer would do nothing to help convince Kurt that he _was_ alright. He flinched away when Kurt laid a hand on his forehead.

"You're sweating. Are you sure you're okay?" The way he said it suggested Kurt didn't need an answer, he already knew he wasn't.

"I… I," Reed stuttered. He didn't know what he was. "I feel like puking." That wasn't entirely a lie but he suspected that was just because of nerves.

Kurt sat on the edge of his bed. "You look like it, too. Do you want to stay back today?"

"I can't."

Kurt frowned at Reed's voice. It sounded raspy, tired, exactly how he looked. He decided to be honest. "Reed, you look downright terrible." Reed appeared to be unaffected. He didn't care. "You should really just stay here. And sleep." He added as an afterthought, remembering Reed's nightmare and the nap he took the day before. And with remembering that brought the memory of what he saw. "Reed." He paused, selecting his word carefully. "Do you need to tell me something? Because you know you can."

Reed froze and Kurt could clearly see the panic in his wide eyes. If he even had any doubt that the welts on his back were just an accident, and he didn't, the way Reed was reacting now took that away.

"N-no." His answer was just as Kurt predicted.

"Then why are you hiding something from me?"

"I…" Reed sniffed although Kurt couldn't see any tears. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Kurt nodded sadly. He didn't look angry at all, and that confused Reed. "You're my best friend, you think I can't tell? I know you are, I just don't know why you'd think you couldn't tell me." He stood up and walked away, returning to his side of the room and Reed suddenly realized why he didn't look mad. He was hurt, betrayed that Reed couldn't trust him enough to tell him the secret.

He was left feeling guilty on top of everything else, and wondering how he planned on getting through the day.

* * *

><p>Blaine was up, but he didn't feel very awake. Another restless night spent worrying about Reed was taking a toll. He didn't even bother gelling his hair, only combing it back. Reed wasn't the only one he worried about. He was also stressing about his brother and their last conversation. He still didn't have any idea what Shane was talking about, "like you didn't know."<p>

Like he didn't know. He really didn't. The only thing he knew was the truth which he was certain Shane didn't. There was no way he would react like that. He would _not _blame Reed. He wouldn't.

He exited his room solemnly; the same room he had gotten used to sharing with Shane, who had a way of making it feel even homier. It hurt more than he thought to have Shane mad at him, and even if he didn't know why, he knew he deserved it.

As soon as he was in the hall he could see Shane leaving Wes and David's room, looking just as tired and worn as Blaine did.

He glanced up, spotting Blaine but there wasn't any hatred in his gaze. He stared at him blankly for only a couple of seconds before turning and walking down the stairs, as if he didn't see him at all.

It might have been silly but Blaine thought that would hurt more than a malicious glare. At least that way Shane would be announcing that he was angry. This made him feel like Shane wasn't acknowledging him at all, and that felt like he was saying he didn't want anything to do with him, like he no longer considered him a brother. (_Some brother.) _And that hurt more than anything.

He barely moved three inches before Wes and David were filing out into the hall too, advancing on him with questioning looks on their faces.

"Hey!" David started and even though he was speaking quite loudly, he didn't look mad. "You wanna tell us why Shane showed up in our room last night, looking devastated and demanding he slept there?"

"And nearly kicking me death due to all his tossing," Wes added in a whisper, rolling his eyes when David shushed him.

"I don't know," Blaine answered quietly, glancing away.

"Why aren't you telling the truth?" David demanded, crossing his arms. He was beginning to look a little irritated.

Blaine shrugged, picking at his blazer. He was so tired of lying. "I am."

David snorted. "Thanks for lying to us. Means a lot." He stalked off with a less annoyed looking Wes following him.

Blaine sighed but not even five seconds had elapsed when another door opened and Kurt emerged, looking dejected and somewhat confused. He looked up at Blaine and unlike Shane, something in Kurt's eyes changed when he saw him standing there looking distressed. But he still said nothing, going by him and down the stairs without a word.

As Blaine stood by the door, waiting for Reed, he couldn't help but dwell on the fact that this situation was tearing everybody apart.

* * *

><p>As soon as Reed stepped out of his room Blaine had to raise his eyebrows. He looked even more of a mess than yesterday. At least yesterday he tried to appear normal, decent. Today he could tell that Reed didn't care. His clothes were wrinkled, a thing Reed would never have allowed in the past, and his hair was sticking up everywhere, looking frizzy at some points. Blaine could tell that meant he didn't use one of the many hair products he used to keep his curls down and shiny. His eyes weren't the only part of him that looked exhausted, his whole body said he was about to collapse. It was hard to take in.<p>

"You look awful."

He wasn't sure if Reed had even heard him speak, not until, "So I've been told." His voice was so quiet Blaine had to strain to hear what was being said.

He reached to brush a lock of twisted hair out of Reed's face, dropping his hand when Reed flinched away. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here?"

Instead of answering, Reed walked by him, heading towards the staircase.

Blaine frowned, following quickly to catch up. He bit his lip once he was walking beside Reed, wanting to ask a question but not sure if he should.

"Does…" he stalled briefly, "Does it still hurt when you walk?"

When Reed responded they were already down the steps. "Not as bad." His voice was still just as quiet.

Blaine sighed, a little relieved but not much. "Has… has Shane talked to you?"

Reed shook his head. He didn't understand why Blaine wanted to know. On one hand he was thankful that he hadn't, but one the other, he missed Shane. It felt like he hadn't seen Shane in ages, but he knew that every time he did see him it was a struggle to act normal, and he was doing a terrible job so far. He wanted to be with Shane but at the same time he wanted Shane to stay away.

Blaine was worrying his lip, not sure what else to say. It felt weird walking alone with Reed. He was so used to walking to class with the big group of conspirators, and now almost all of them were mad at him. And Reed was so far into pretending nothing happened, pretending he couldn't feel any of the pain, it was like he wasn't here at all.

He was in his own world of hurt and Blaine had no idea how to reach him there.

* * *

><p>As soon as they reached the main building of the school, Reed latched onto Blaine's arm, just as he expected him to. Mostly everyone else was already there as they were a couple of minutes late. That didn't matter though. Even if there were only a few people in the room, it was still enough to make Reed want to hide. Knowing one of those people could be <em>him <em>made him want to disappear.

He closed his eyes, pressing his face into Blaine's arm and leaning onto him. Blaine didn't mind. He put an arm around him, supporting his weight and leading them to their first class.

The morning passed in a way entire reminiscent to the previous one. Blaine gave Reed his blazer to cushion his chair, and Reed didn't touch any of his assignments. He hardly cared about them or the fact his grade would suffer because of the last two days.

Every transition between classes found Reed clutching onto Blaine's arm tightly. He didn't care if people stared, and only the ones that knew about them and their significant others did. Even though they said nothing Dwight, Evan, Ethan, Wes, David, and especially Kurt stared. Even Logan stopped to raise his eyebrows at them before shaking his head and deciding it was none of his business. But Shane was nowhere to be found. Blaine would be correct in assuming he was going out of his way to avoid the pair of them, and that made Blaine feel sick to his stomach.

By the time lunch came around Blaine was sure there would a bruise marking the place Reed clutched onto every time they were in the halls. He was grabbing onto the same spot as they made their way to lunchroom. Even though the whole group savor Shane was walking together, it was deadly silent.

No one spoke a word, even after everyone had sat down. They starting eating, none of them daring to break the heavy silence. Reed didn't even bother getting any food, he laid his head on his arms on the table the moment he was seated.

Blaine stopped eating, reaching over to rub Reed's back soothingly. He was careful to keep his hand high, avoiding the wounds he tried his best to bandage last night.

Kurt watched him with narrowed eyes. He could tell what he was doing from the way Blaine moved. This meant that he did see the welts last night, he knew they existed. Did that mean he knew the reason why? He bit his tongue. He wasn't going to ask in front of everyone.

David didn't seem to be as hesitate. He dropped his silverware. "Alright." His tone was harsh and everyone except Reed looked over at him. "What is going on?" He now spoke directly to Reed although he didn't glance up. "You have been acting so freaking weird lately. And now Shane is staying with Wes and me and not even here with us right now and you're basically attached to his brother. Do you want to tell us what we're missing?"

Reed didn't attempt to look up, or even move. Not until David, annoyed by the way he was being blatantly ignored, shouted, "Reed!"

Reed jumped, although he didn't look up, only closed in on himself, cowering.

Blaine glared. "Leave Reed alone." Even he was surprised by how cruel his voice sounded.

David stared at him in shock. He finally looked away, laughing without any humor. "So let me get this straight. It's obvious Shane is angry with you over something otherwise he'd be here right now and he wouldn't have slept in Wes' bed last night." Wes discreetly rolled his eyes. "So you must have done something to upset him. And now all day today you and Reed have been practically attached at the hip. Seems very suspicious if you ask me."

The twins and Dwight watched in stunned silence. Kurt merely rolled his eyes, looking back at his food. He knew what he was implying and he didn't have time to think like that. He already knew that wasn't the truth. Blaine however, scowled. "And just what are you insinuating?"

"I think you know exactly what I'm insinuating."

Wes chose now to interfere. "Okay guys, hold on. Let's not fight."

"No," David cut him off, continuing like he never said anything. "How dare you do that to your brother. How could you?"

"I didn't do anything!" Blaine shouted. "In case you haven't noticed, Kurt is sitting right there!"' He pointed to Kurt who smiled a tight, sarcastic smile at David.

"Okay so what does Reed have to say about this?" David demanded, turning to small boy who was still lying on his arms, tightly hiding his face. "Well, Reed. What's going on with you and Blaine, and why isn't Shane here?"

As soon as Reed's shoulders started shaking, showing he was crying yet again, Blaine had enough. He stood up, shouting in a heated voice. "I said leave Reed alone, dammit!"

Everyone stared up at him, stunned. Even Reed finally looked up, wiping at his tears as more continued to fall.

"Blaine," he whispered, hiding his face behind quivering hands so he wouldn't have to see all his friends who now stared at him. "Can we please leave now?"

Blaine took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Sure." He reached a hand out for Reed to take, helping him his feet. Neither one of them said another word as they left together, leaving six boys watching after them, confused and gasping.

* * *

><p>As they walked off to study hall, Reed clutching onto his arm and using it as a shield for his sight, Blaine was only feeling worse. He had spent the rest of the lunch hour calming Reed down, who was now feeling even guiltier than ever. It hurt so bad to see him cry again, and what was worse was knowing he had no way of helping.<p>

His stomach dropped when they got to the classroom the exact time as Shane. Even though Shane had looked at him with a completely void face this morning, Blaine could see his brother's heart break once he saw the two of them together, Reed wrapped tightly around his arm. He could see all the hurt in his misty eyes and the way his face winced ever so slightly at the sight of him.

"Shane, I…" Words failed him, and even if he knew what to say, Shane didn't give him any chance. He turned and walked straight into the classroom.

When Blaine said the name, Reed peeked up from behind his arm for the first time that day just in time to see Shane's retreating back. His heart ached. He missed Shane but he couldn't stand having to lie to him.

Shane pretended not to notice when they finally entered the room. He pretended not to see Blaine give Reed his blazer, or hear Reed's small thank you. He pretended not to feel the worry when Reed sat down, burying his head into his arms and shaking. Most of all, he pretended his couldn't feel all the devastating hurt from seeing his suspicions confirmed when he saw them together outside; he pretended he wasn't crying.

Reed was pretending , too. Pretending none of this ever happened, it was all a dream. And he, like Shane, was pretending he wasn't crying.

Kurt spent the study hall chewing on the end of his pencil, something he usually would never do (too unsanitary) and going over everything he knew in his head, adding the new knowledge from today and last night.

Blaine was chewing on his lip. He had been biting it so much over the last couple days it was now bleeding, but he didn't care. He was busy trying to figure out what Shane meant last night and trying to find a way to help Reed. He was so confused and sleep deprived it hurt to think.

Once the bell finally rang, dismissing them to the last class of the day, most of the people were out of their seats, running to the door. Shane hung back, pretending to take a long time packing up while he subtly watched Blaine shake Reed who had fallen asleep sometime during the class awake. Even if he did break his heart, that didn't stop him from being worried about him.

Reed woke up, blinking eyes that were red and puffy. He looked like he could use a few more hours of the sleep, but they still had one more class. He handed Blaine his blazer back, glancing at Shane who was working hard to keep his head down and not look at him. He only glanced at him briefly, eyes welling up once more, before he walked out of the classroom, Blaine following and telling him he'd walk him to his next class.

Shane fell back into his chair, forcing himself not to cry again. He still couldn't believe it. He just c_ould not._ This was _Blaine_, his brother and _Reed! _Everything Micah had said about them was true, they would _never _hurt him like this, but here they were! Throwing it right in his face. He pressed his hands over his mouth, holding back the sobs.

His brother knew that the only thing he wanted more than anything in the world was Reed. And it had been since the second he saw him. It was miracle he even managed to get what he wanted: the right to call Reed his. It shocked him like nothing else when Reed appeared to feel the same way about him, and he vowed he would never do anything to mess it up. He would never do anything to hurt him, or make his angel cry. He wouldn't let others do those things either. And he would _never_ cheat on him. He never would have imagined it would be the other way around, not with Reed's history of never being attracted to another person. And it was his own brother. That made it all the worse. It hurt so badly he wanted to die.

He stayed sitting, giving the other two enough time to get out of the building so he didn't have to see them together again. It was too much to handle.

After a couple of minutes waiting, he finally left, and when he did, he was lucky enough to find that they were still there in the hallway. But something wasn't right.

As soon as Blaine had mentioned walking Reed to his last class, Reed stopped in the middle of the hallway. Blaine was thankful it was an empty hallway because Reed immediately started shaking and crying.

"Reed," Blaine moved in front of him. "What is it?"

"I can't go there!" Reed cried, staring at Blaine with wide, scared eyes.

"Why n –" Blaine stopped, instantly remembering why. "Oh. But Reed you can't keep skipping Art. You're going to get in trouble and they'll want an explanation. What do you plan on telling them?"

"I don't know!" Reed looked panicked. "Can't I just get out of that stupid class!"

Blaine never thought he'd hear Reed call art stupid. But he completely understood why. "I don't know how you'd do that though. It's already pretty late in the semester."

Reed started crying harder. "I don't want to go! I _can't _go!"

When his body started shaking, Blaine stepped forward, wrapping his arms around him. "It's okay, you don't have to." He ran a hand through Reed's frazzled curls, trying to comfort him.

At that moment Shane left the classroom, walking into the hall to see them holding onto to each other, Blaine soothing Reed who was heavily crying. He froze instantly, aching to be in Blaine's spot. It surprised him when Reed spoke, sounding choked.

"Please don't make me."

Blaine was quick to answer. "Don't worry, I won't." He held Reed tighter.

Confusion found its way amidst the worry and pain in Shane's head. He wanted to know what Blaine had been trying to make Reed do. Could it be he wanted Reed to tell him about them but Reed couldn't bring himself to do it? Well he didn't need to worry about that. Shane already knew everything. It's not like they had been discreet.

He turned, walking down the opposite end of the hall and trying to ignore the fear and concern he felt over seeing Reed cry like that. It hurt like hell, but he couldn't do anything about it. Reed had Blaine now, and apparently that's who he wanted.

"Come on," Blaine said, standing up straight seconds after Shane, who he had idea had even been there, had left, "I'll skip with you. We'll go back to Windsor."

Reed nodded, sniffing and following Blaine numbly. He grabbed onto his arm once more, surprised when he found himself thinking of Shane again.

* * *

><p>Shane was leaning against the same wall as yesterday, skipping his last class, too. This time he didn't call Micah. He was crying so hard he didn't think he could even talk. It hurt <em>so bad.<em>

He didn't think he could ever feel like this.

As the end of the class approached Shane tried to get it together. He wiped his cheeks dry when the bell rang, standing up and starting the walk to Windsor. He moved slowly, going over everything that happened in last two days in his head. He tried to think of any other explanation, coming up empty. After seeing them in the hall before and after study hall, he really didn't have any doubt, even though he wanted to be wrong more than anything.

It was settled though. Reed was cheating on him with Blaine. And if the conversation he walked in on after study hall was any indication, they couldn't find a way to tell him.

_Well,_ Shane thought bitterly. He was suddenly running intently. _They won't have to. I'll tell them._

* * *

><p>Blaine didn't mean to fall asleep. He spent a good deal of the last hour trying to convince Reed to take a nap, and when he finally did, Blaine settled on Kurt's bed, trying to work on homework, but two sleepless nights had him doing just what Reed was.<p>

They were both shocked awake when the room was infiltrated by the conspirators. Everyone except Shane was present.

Blaine knew he had to be worried when Kurt starting pleading, "Guys, please just drop it, okay?"

He didn't tell them anything, but now he knew they were going to try to force Blaine tell them what was going on.

David ignored him. "Blaine, we're not stupid." He didn't sound as angry as before, only upset and curious. "Something is going on with you two and Shane."

"And we want in," Evan interrupted.

"Why do you think you can keep something from us?" Ethan finished and each twin crossed their arms.

Blaine was off the bed, watching Reed sit up and wrap his arms around his legs, hide his face behind his knees and shake.

He looked back to the others, determined. "There's really nothing to tell."

"Yeah right." David sighed. "Look I feel guilty about assuming you were with Reed. I can now deduce that Reed and Shane had a fight and you're trying to comfort him, and Shane's getting pissy because you're 'taking his side.' Is that right, Reed?"

Blaine looked for Reed's reaction only to see him full on crying again. He wished he never had to see Reed cry again.

"Just tell us," Ethan urged. "We won't judge you because you're fighting."

"As a matter of fact, we'll only try to find a way to get you two back together." Evan added, trying to smile. He didn't understand why Reed only cried harder.

They all jumped when the door banged open again, revealing Shane who looked like he'd seen better days. He was flushed, hair a mess and out of breath, panting. He didn't look at any of them, training his eyes on Reed and walking passed them all straight to where Reed was sitting on his bed, watching him with terror in his eyes. He had never seen Reed look at him like that before, and it broke his heart even more.

The room was completely silent, everyone staring at Shane, Blaine and Reed in varying degrees of panic, everyone else merely curiosity.

They all waited for him to speak, Reed's heart stopping the moment he said those first two words.

"I know." Shane sounded shattered as he looked at Reed in sorrow, speaking only to him. "I know everything." He could see Reed's eyes growing wider and the way he stopped breathing, staring at Shane in pure, unfiltered panic. Shane's face scrunched up in pain and he started crying again. "How could you do this to me?"

Reed jumped up and off the bed, standing beside it weakly. His knees were shaking and he felt like fainting. This couldn't be happening, Shane couldn't have found out! He couldn't! How did he? He started breaking down, crying out, "I'm sorry!"

Nobody dared to move, speak, or even breathe as they watched in stunned silence.

"I'm sorry, Shane! Please! I'm… I…" he couldn't find the words. There was no excuse for what he had done.

Shane was still crying, looking away from Reed's pleading eyes. "How?" Shane repeated in a voice that was strangled and broken. "How _could _you?"

"I'm so sorry!" Reed cried again. He couldn't believe this was happening. "I just… couldn't." Shane's brows pulled together, making his heart broken expression confused. Reed shook harder, squeezing his eyes shut, forcing himself to say it. "I swear I wouldn't! He forced me to do it!"

Blaine's breath caught. Here is was.

Nobody paid attention when Kurt gasped, clasping his hands over his mouth, whispering a doleful "Oh my god." Everything was now clicked into place for him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It couldn't be true…

Shane stopped crying, sniffing as he looked to were Blaine's shell shocked form was standing. "Blaine… _made_ you cheat on me?"

Everyone except Kurt turned their wide eyes to Blaine as well, trying to keep up and figure it out.

"Blaine?" Shane asked in confusion. "You…"

Blaine finally met his eyes. "What! No! Shane, Reed isn't cheating on you! And certainly not with me! What were you thinking!"

Shane drew back, a little surprised. "You mean you're not together?"

"No!" Blaine shouted. What a stupid thought! He couldn't believe Shane had been thinking of _that _all this time_. _Didn't he know what was happening right this second?

Shane sighed deeply, eyes now dry and feeling somewhat relieved. He glanced up and was confused to see that no one else appeared to feel like he did. Everyone was watching him in horror, and Kurt wasn't watching him at all. He was sitting on his bed, crying. He didn't understand why, he just knew that he was glad Reed wasn't cheating on him.

He turned to smile at him, but it instantly faded once he saw Reed visibly shaking with panic, staring at him with unmistakable terror.

He felt confused. "What's –" He stopped, remembering it in a flash. He was suddenly whispering. "What did you say?" Reed shook harder, eyes filling up and looking like he would faint at any moment. Shane's face fell in numbed comprehension. "Who forced you to do what?" He asked calmly.

Reed's shaking increased to the point he could no longer stand. He dropped to ground at the foot of his bed, burying his head in his hands and he sobbed. "I'm sorry," he said in between sobs and two words never sounded more heartbreaking.

Shane's muscles froze. He didn't hear Blaine move to console Kurt, who was crying harder. He didn't hear anything except for Reed's cries and his voice. "Reed," he spoke with an edge. "Who forced you to do what?"

Reed griped onto his arms tightly, nails digging in. His eyes were sealed shut and he started rocking slightly, pretending to be somewhere else, anywhere else. This wasn't happening.

Shane couldn't breathe. This wasn't happening. It had to be a joke, a lie, a dream. "Reed," he whispered so quietly even he couldn't hear it. He spoke louder now, almost shouting. "What did he force you to do!"

Reed looked down, crying harder than ever. He whispered only a couple of words that shattered Shane's world of denial. "You know." He hid by burying his head into his arm, not daring to look at Shane's eyes. "So please don't make me say it."

Shane stepped back in a daze, stumbling and nearly falling over as he tried to process this. What did that mean? He didn't understand. His gut was churning with nerves and fear. The only thing it could mean was impossible. Impossible…

"Don't…" he heard someone from behind him nervously chuckle, but was unable to place the voice. "Don't say things like that, Reed. You make it sound like…"

"Don't joke like that, Reed!" another voice cut in, sounding riled. "It's not funny!"

Reed didn't answer, still hiding his face as his crying became louder. He could hardly breathe. Shane's stomach was now twisting painfully and his breath was erratic. His legs started to shake. Why wasn't Reed correcting everyone!

Suddenly his brother's voice behind him brought him back to reality. He sounded forlorn, scared. "It's not a joke."

Shane's head whipped around to face him, staring at him so intensely Blaine turned his eyes back to Kurt, who had a hand over his mouth, quietly crying. But just from that spilt second of eye contact Blaine could easily see all the different emotions battling in Shane's eyes. He knew exactly how he felt.

"What!" he demanded and Blaine flinched, keeping his eyes on Kurt.

"How do you know that, Blaine?" Wes asked, sounding for too calm for Shane's liking.

"Everyone just shut up!" Shane shouted. It felt like someone was trying to claw their way out from the inside of his stomach. He turned back to Reed who hadn't moved at all. "Tell them they're wrong, Reed!" His eyes were starting well and his voice shook. "Tell them this is a misunderstanding."

David jumped forward, wearing a hard mask. He knelt down, trying to look Reed in his face that was still being hidden by his arm. "Reed," he spoke gently, "You aren't exactly being clear here. You have to tell us. Think about what you're saying. I'll start the sentence and you finish it, okay?" He paused, waiting for a response for such a long time he doubted one would come. Finally, Reed nodded weakly. "Okay. This guy, he forced you to…"

All breathing instantaneously ceased as they all waited for Reed to say something. A long moment past in which not one of them spoke or even breathed.

Reed didn't move, keeping his head down as he whispered as quietly as he could manage in such a small miserable voice, hoping they wouldn't hear him, but knowing they would. "…have sex."

A collective exhaling of breath was heard, followed by Kurt's sobbing, Dwight loudly swearing, and Wes punching a wall, cracking the surface.

Shane's heart plummeted to the bottom of his feet. He had to grab onto Kurt's bed to keep from falling over. The pain in his stomach increased and he felt like vomiting. This wasn't real. This wasn't real. This wasn't real.

This kind of thing didn't happen to people he knew, let alone loved! This couldn't have happened to Reed, _his Reed, _of all people. There was no way. But Reed was now wailing, shaking hard and Shane could tell this was no joke.

Everything that happened the last two days was suddenly flashing in his head. Reed's illness; his mysterious injuries; the bruise on his cheek; his reluctance to be touched; his blatant lying; his nightmare; his inexplicable crying spells; the way he grabbed onto Shane, making him promise not to let go; his fear; the way he cried out "no" during class; his unpredictable behavior; his limping, oh god his limping. It all fit. Everything made sense now, but he couldn't believe it.

Once again his brother's voice pulled him out of his horror. "Reed," he sounded stern as he ran a hand over Kurt's back. "That is not sex, that is rape."

There it was. The word he was forcing himself not to think. The word that _could not _have happened to Reed. But it did. He could tell by the way Reed cried and quaked.

His legs were shaking harder but he managed to gain his balance, and he was soon running, tearing open the door and vanishing into the hallway.

Everyone, in varying degrees of shock and anger, stared at the door after him, dumbfounded. Wes had yet to turn back around to the direction of the group, and was still facing the wall he damaged, clenched fists shaking. David had shifted back into a standing position, staring ahead blankly and trying very hard not to explode, bombarding Reed was questions. Dwight's face was set in stone so tightly no one would have been able to guess the internal battle of anguish and rage. The twins were feeling oddly collected, exchanging knowing glances with each other. There wasn't an ounce of mischief in there system and their faces showed it. They were remembering a while back, what they did to that boy who made Reed cry, how they dumped him on the sidewalk in nothing but his underwear. If they ever found out who did this, and they intended to, it wouldn't be his clothes that would be shed, it would be his blood.

Blaine was still comforting a weeping Kurt, but the second Shane stormed out, his head snapped up. He saw Reed finally take a peek out from behind his arm, looking up to glance around frantically to see who left. His face twisted in pain when he found it was exactly who he feared. Right now he didn't care how anyone else reacted, he was only scared about what Shane would say, what he would do. And he left. He started to break back down. Shane didn't want to have anything else to do with him. This is what he was afraid of.

Blaine saw the break down coming. He jumped up, racing after his brother and slamming the door behind him.

He spotted him, pacing in the hallway, not three feet from the door.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Blaine shouted, not caring if people would hear.

Shane wasn't facing him, he was running his hands over his head, pulling at his hair desperately. When he turned to look at Blaine, Blaine could see his cheeks were wet with tears he didn't try to stop.

"How did this happen?" he brokenly gasped, watching Blaine with a heartbreaking expression. He was suddenly looking furious, "How did this happen!" He repeated, punching the wall before breaking back down into another fit of sobs.

Blaine's anger dulled. He knew Shane was at war with himself. He knew how it felt.

"I don't know. But why are you out here, screaming about it?"

Shane turned angry once more. He gestured frantically to the staircase. "I have to find, _kill, _him."

He wasn't making a whole lot of sense, but Blaine still understood completely. "And how do you plan on doing that when you don't even know who it is?"

Blaine was being far too calm. Why wasn't he raging! How could he just stand there and ask stupid questions after what just happened! "I don't fucking care! I'll just… I'll..." He screamed, punching the wall again before sliding down it, burying his head in his hands and crying.

Blaine sighed, walking over to him. "I know how you feel."

He dropped his hands but his eyes remained on the floor. "No you don't," He managed to choke out, "You have no idea."

"Don't you think I felt the exact same way when I found out? Don't you think I wanted to _murder _the guy who did it?"

Shane realized something then, something that should have clicked earlier but never found its way into his shocked frozen mind.

"You knew." He whispered, his inquiry quiet at first. When Blaine only shifted, not answering, Shane was shouting, jumping back up, and advancing on his brother menacingly. "You knew! You knew this whole time and you didn't me!" Blaine swallowed, shuffling guiltily. "How could you!"

Finally looking up, Blaine spoke quietly. "It wasn't for me to tell. It was his secret and he begged me not to say anything. And I didn't want to force him to do anything, not with what just happened to him. All the websites said it had to be his choice."

"I don't care!" Shane was screaming in his face and Blaine did nothing to stop him. "You still should have told me! Or someone! How could you not make him go to the hospital or police, he could be seriously hurt and that goddamn son of a bitch is still walking around freely!" He paused, taking a shuttering breath. "How could you keep this from me? I'm his boyfriend," his eyes were filling up again. "I'm supposed to protect him! And he was violated in the worst possible way. And I didn't even know!"

He was crying again, trying very hard not break into sobs, and Blaine put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know –"

"No you don't know!" He shouted, stepping back and away. "Kurt is fine! He wasn't the one who was r-raped." His heart clenched at the word he could barely bring himself to say. He still couldn't comprehend how it happened to _Reed._

Everyone in the room was tensed, not daring to say a word. They were all pretending they couldn't hear the brothers' fight, even though they were loud and quite easily heard.

As soon as Blaine left Kurt had jumped off the bed, scurrying over to where Reed was huddled, crying on the floor. He now had his arms wrapped around him, trying his best to rub his back and comfort him. Reed was bawling, clutching onto Kurt's shirt tightly as Kurt rocked him. He could hear Shane shouting too, and that and the fact he ran out was all Reed needed to know it was true.

"He hates me," Reed managed between sobs.

That broke Kurt's heart even more. "Shhhh," he whispered, trying to hold his tears in. "No, he doesn't. He's just in shock."

They all were.

Blaine's stomach knotted up with guilt. He watched his brother cry with sympathy. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to. I wanted to so badly. You deserved to know. But I was scared. And he was too. He was terrified you'd hate him once you found out, that you'd think he wanted it."

Shane sniffed, glancing up at his brother, shock in his misty eyes. "He what? How could he think that? I would never blame him."

"I know that. But he doesn't." Blaine sighed when Shane stared at his feet again, silently crying. "Do you know what the first thing I did when I found out was? Educate myself." Shane glanced up. "I didn't try to beat anyone's head in, even though I _really _wanted to. Now, Reed is in there, crying his eyes out, scared and hurt, thinking you hate him. He needs you. Take care of him."

Shane nodded, lips quivering as more tears fell. He shoved passed Blaine, cursing himself for being so stupid, running to the door they were only a couple feet away from and rushing into the room.

Everyone stared up in surprise the moment he entered, including Reed who could barely see which brother it was due to his blurry vision.

Kurt got up, stepping back and meeting Blaine at the doorway.

Shane walked to where Reed was numbly, weakly collapsing onto his knees as soon as he was in front of him.

"Reed…"

Reed shook with nerves and terror, petrified of what Shane would say next. He said nothing though, instead grabbing onto him and holding him against him tightly, running a hand through his hair and whispering softly, "It's okay. I love you. I always have and always will. Nothing is going to change that, especially this. I love you."

Reed sobbed, unable to believe him. Like Kurt said, Shane was in shock, he didn't know what he was saying, he didn't realize what it meant. "I didn't want to!" He cried, desperate to make Shane understand. "I swear I didn't! I would never!"

Shane's body shook as he tried to conceal his own crying, "Shhh baby, I know."

"I said no. I t-tried to..." Reed trailed off, gasping, "He _m-made _me."

Even though the words broke Shane's heart even further, he was starting to see red. He couldn't get the images of it out of his mind, of Reed being hurt like this, of some _fucking bastard _hurting him like this. What he wouldn't give to beat the life out of this person with his bare hands.

"I know," he repeated and his voice was filled with all the emotions he didn't dare let Reed see him express. "It's not your fault. Shhhh. It's not your fault."

Reed didn't try to talk anymore, sobbing opening into Shane's shirt. Shane only held onto him tightly, never wanting to let go. He was still mortified. He would have never believed it. He remembered thinking Reed was cheating on him, and now he could see that would have been so much better than this. Sure that hurt, but this made him want to die. And kill.

And with that thought, he was remembering something he needed to ask. He had to. Even if it meant upsetting Reed.

"Reed," he whispered, trying to keep the anger out of his voice as he pulled away gently to look into his swimming eyes. "Who did this to you?"


	6. Confession

_Be my friend, hold me_

* * *

><p>There was a couple seconds of tense silence. Reed's body was frozen the second he asked the question. Shane could see the light, which had been so much dimmer than he remembered, leave Reed's eyes. He stared ahead with those dull, lifeless eyes, not really looking at Shane's face anymore. He wasn't looking at anything.<p>

A gripping sensation of fear spread through Shane's body, on top of how scared he already felt. Fear and shock and rage and confusion and guilt all mixing together in battle of hurt and emotions.

But what scared him at this second was the way Reed seemed to completely disappear. It wasn't like he tuned out or wasn't listening; it was like his soul left his body and all that was left was a shell of someone who looked like Reed, but wasn't him at all.

"Reed?" his whispered in a voice that sounded almost too loud in the deathly quiet room. Every occupant was hanging on to what Reed would say, barely even breathing. Even Kurt's sobbing had quieted down.

Shane's arms were trembling as he tried to gently shake Reed out of it. The way Reed had just zoned out was terrifying him. "Reed?"

Finally, Reed's eyes held life again and his face crumbled, breaking down into another crying fit. When the sobbing started Shane almost wished he looked lifeless again, at least that way he didn't have to see him cry like this.

"I can't." His voice broke on the last word and he had to bite down on his bottom lip to stop it from quivering.

Shane's grip on his arms tightened just barely, like he was trying to hold Reed together, keep him from falling apart. It seemed impossible to do though. "Yes you can! You can tell me." He had to calm down before continuing. He couldn't yell at him, that would be counterproductive. "Please. Who did it?"

Reed only shook his head again, letting his eyes close like he didn't want to be here, let alone answer. And he didn't. Reed was in shock that he'd even told them in the first place. His brain still wasn't caught up with what was happening. Shane knowing, Kurt knowing, even Dwight; he didn't want to think about it. And he definitely didn't want to say more than he already had.

"Reed, please." The sound of Shane's voice hurt and made his stomach twist. He could hear the pain in his voice just from two words, and that made him feel so guilty. Guilty for not only causing Shane's tears, but Kurt's as well, not to mention Blaine's distress the last couple of days and now everyone else's too. Everything was his fault.

And everything was happening too fast.

"Please, please tell me. I need to know." So I can kill him. But Shane kept that part to himself. Little did he know that everyone else in the room was on the exact same wavelength.

Reed shook his head again, trying to make Shane understand. "I can't… because I don't know." The last part was whispered so quietly only Shane could hear it. And he kept his head down, like he was ashamed to even say it at all.

Everyone else in the room was staring at Shane, depending on him to understand what was happening. But Shane was confused, trying to figure out what Reed had said and what it meant. When it finally clicked he felt like he was going to be even sicker.

"You don't… you don't know who did it?"

There were a ton of different scenarios that could go along with that statement. If Reed was drugged or knocked out he wouldn't remember who it was or even how it happened, and that meant it could be _anybody, _more than one person even. With that thought Shane was sure he was going to throw up.

Reed didn't answer him, but he didn't need to. The way he hid his face and refused to look up, crying harder, said enough.

Shane swallowed thickly. He didn't want to ask, not just because he didn't want to upset Reed, but he also didn't think he was prepared for the answer or what it meant. "How," his voice cracked so he tried again. "How did it happen?"

There were so many different possibilities Shane didn't think he could take not knowing any longer.

Reed's body shook harder and he curled up defensively. Shane could tell he wasn't going to let anything out, not now. He reached out to touch his arm again but drew it back when Reed flinched away.

"Reed please, I-I _need _you to tell me something. Anything." He was scared out of his mind. At least knowing something could help eliminate some of the never ending list of possibilities that were all so horrific it would drive him mad thinking each one could have happened to Reed. "Do you remember what happened? Were you drugged? Did he have a weapon? Did he hurt you, do you have any injuries?" Shane knew he was probably overwhelming him but he couldn't help it. He was going crazy with anxiety and once the flood broke his mouth spilled out the questions he wished he shouldn't have to ask.

A couple of seconds past before Reed whispered a reply without looking up. "N-no. He didn't drug me."

Shane exhaled but he wasn't relieved at all. He didn't know which was worse, Reed being drugged and having to go through life not knowing what happened to him, or Reed going through it sober and conscious to every second, having to live with it. He would have felt terrified and in so much pain. He probably would have screamed…. Shane gritted his teeth and forced the train of thought out. It was making his blood boil.

"What about weapons? Did he have one?" It was hard to keep going, but he couldn't stop now.

He could barely make out Reed's small nod, or his quiet voice. "A knife."

A crippling sense of dread crashed on Shane at his answer. Sure he was narrowing down the possibilities but with that came the truth. No more what ifs. This was actually what Reed went through. Someone actually pressed a blade to Reed's skin. And even if they didn't, they threatened to. They intimidated Reed with something that could kill him. Shane wished he could return the favor.

"Did he…" He could hardly get the question out he was so scared of the answer. "Did he hurt you with it?"

The sense of dread intensified when Reed nodded slowly.

"How?"

The sobs returned and it took Reed a minute to choke them down and find his voice to give an answer. "Cut me…. And…" He trailed off and closed himself off again.

"And what, baby?"

Reed's knees were now drawn up to his chest, he hid behind them and cried. "He said… he…" Shane waited not so patiently while he tried to get the words out. But he wasn't prepared for them. "Slit my throat if I made too much noise."

Shane froze. It was too much and it was too horrifying. Dwight was cursing again but he couldn't hear him. He was trapped in the thought of Reed, sweet, beautiful, _innocent _Reed going through this. He could have been hurt beyond repair or even killed. He didn't deserve this. Why did it have to be him?

Reed's heavy crying brought him out of it. It seemed like there was more he wasn't saying.

He had to swallow a lump away and blink the stinging tears back. "What else?"

His voice shook. "He said he'd k-kill me if I told." For the first time since he started talking, he looked up into Shane's eyes. "You can't tell anyone else. You _can't. _Promise me."

Blaine bit his tongue from behind them. That's what he had said to him, too. Blaine tried to keep his promise but it wasn't that easy.

Shane seemed conflicted. He wasn't going to promise that, but he hadn't really considered what he'd do anyway. What was he going to do after this was over? Reed obviously needed to see a doctor and the thought of not telling anyone and letting the person who did this get away was unacceptable to him. This fucker would pay, legally or not.

"I…"

He was so wrapped up with what he was going to do he seemed to forget what Reed said before that.

But the twins didn't. They stepped forward, speaking for the first time. And honestly, from them silence was something to be terrified of.

Evan started the statement while Ethan finished it. "Wait. He said he'd kill you if you told? But you don't know him?" There was a suspicious glint in their eyes. "Does that mean he knows you? How so?"

Kurt hastily wiped his wet cheeks clean, blinking so he could see their faces clearly. He had never seen the twins look so calm, and in a room where everyone else was either crying or red in the face from holding back their fury, that was something that warranted caution.

Reed turned his red eyes from Shane to the two tall figures across the room. "I… don't know. But…" he paused, sniffing and trying to block out the memories that surfaced when he thought this. "He knew my name and which house I was in."

It was all said in a quiet whisper the twins could barely hear. Shane on the other hand, was directly in front of him and heard it perfectly. He gritted his teeth, angered and devastated by this information.

Both of the twin's minds were working a million miles a second, going over the possibilities. Reed was an incredible artist, he was a Warbler; it was completely plausible that he would be known to people he wasn't familiar with. Now it was their job to try to narrow that spectrum down.

It was that determination that made them swallow their hesitation and ask the question they were sure they weren't the only ones wondering. "What did he look like?"

Kurt was still watching them, becoming increasingly alarmed by their tone and the look in their eyes.

Shane closed his eyes tightly, willing himself to breathe. He wanted to know but at the same time every new piece of information made the situation unavoidably real. He couldn't escape into possibilities anymore. And he just knew that whatever Reed said next would haunt him.

Reed's finger nails were digging into his arms, painfully deep. He also had his eyes closed, trying to force his mind from seeing that face. He didn't want to remember. He didn't want to know what he looked like. "I don't remember." He whispered pitifully.

The twins' expressions didn't change. "Did he wear a mask?"

Instead of speaking, Reed only shook his head twice.

"Then how do you not remember?" Reed said nothing. His eyes were still closed, preventing him from seeing which twin was speaking, but whosever voice it was turned sympathetic. "I don't think you could forget that easily." The other twin spoke. "We don't buy it, Dormouse."

Reed flinched. He wished he could. But he was sure that face was burned into his brain permanently. And the twins probably knew that too. "I can't." He was saying that entirely too much.

"Reed please." This time the strangled out plea came from right in front of him. He didn't dare open his eyes. He didn't want to see Shane's face. He knew seeing it would be so much harder that just hearing his voice.

The grip on his arms tightened, nail digging in deeper. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to voluntarily think of that face. He tried to think of the most harmless thing he could. "He didn't have a blazer on. I couldn't tell what house he was from."

He was quiet but the twins could still hear it. They were disappointed they couldn't narrow down their mental checklist, but relieved that they were at least getting somewhere. "Okay what about his hair."

Reed's face scrunched up. That was all it took to make the face his mind was fighting off appear clearly. He hands shook and his heart ached. "Blonde." His voice cracked. "Dark blonde."

Shane was finding himself beating a faceless person with dark blonde hair over and over again in his mind.

The twins continued. "And the styling?"

His eyes were stinging and he knew he would have to open them soon, if only to just let more tears out. "Short and m-messy."

At least that somewhat helped. "Eyes?"

Reed unwillingly let out a shuddering gasp. Those were the worst part of the face. He couldn't stop picturing those eyes watching him with such a malicious glint. It made him shiver. He stuttered out his response without thinking. "Evil."

The twins bit their tongues while Shane cringed. He tried not to picture it, tried not to imagine but he was powerless to stop it. It was all he could think about. He wondered just how evil those eyes would look with a pencil jabbed through them.

Reed seemed to catch his mistake, but he refused to address it. It was embarrassing enough. "They were brown."

Everyone who attended Dalton and matched this description was filtering through the twins' minds. Bailey's hair was too cared for to be considered messy, same with Julian. They knew that was impossible anyway. And Reed was clear on the fact he didn't know who it was.

"Can you tell us anything else about him, Reed?" This time it was Dwight who spoke, much to the surprise of everyone else. Unlike the twins, his voice had not calmed down since the last time he spoke, spewing out curses. But his face was set in a smooth picture of determination. He definitely looked angry, but it was a little more menacing than that. And given the way he usually handled emergency situations like this, that was more than a little distressing.

Reed's eyes automatically opened at Dwight's voice. He almost forgot that he was in the room too. He choked down his humiliation at realizing every single one of his friends were hanging onto to his every word. His lips quivered when he answered. "He was a lot taller than me. And muscular."

It wasn't much of a profile and it barely narrowed it down at all but at least it was something. No one had a chance to speak before Reed continued.

His voice was hoarse from crying and the new tears splashed over his lips. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I don't want to think about it." His eyes closed again and he rested his head against his knees, hiding his face once more. Shane could see his shoulders shake with the sobs he fought to hide.

His eyes welled up with fresh tears and his body shook. He clenched his fist in an attempt to resist rubbing Reed's shoulder. "Reed," his voice sounded so pathetic and small. "I am so _fucking _sorry." Not just for the fact that it happened, but because he had been selfish enough to make him talk about it so much.

Reed's sobs turned audible when he heard this. He didn't want Shane to feel bad or guilty. He didn't do anything wrong.

Shane's clenched fists moved to his head, like he wanted to pound them there. "This is all my fucking fault. Where was I, I…" he trained off, hands falling down as he stared blankly ahead. "Where was I." He repeated. He was with Reed every chance he could be. So when could this have possibly happened? He cleared his throat and tried to speak more calmly. "Reed. Where was I? Where was everyone else? Where were you?"

Blaine hung his head. He was the only one who knew what day it happened. He was the only one Reed told about the Art Hall. He had been listening intently moments before, intrigued to be learning more about Reed's attacker in the last couple minutes than he had in the last couple of days put together. But now he was reminded of just how guilty he felt for agreeing to keep Reed's secret. It was obviously the wrong decision.

Reed didn't want to answer, he wanted to stay there hiding until he disappeared for good. And he certainly didn't want Shane to feel even worse. He tried to speak many times before he finally got the words out. They were barely a whisper. "In the Art Hall…two days ago."

Shane stopped breathing. He felt so fucking stupid. It was so obvious! He took Reed to the Art Hall to paint in peace. He left him there while he was at dance practice. And afterwards he was told Reed was feeling sick and went to sleep early. Sick. And nothing had been the same since. He was so fucking stupid! Reed was hurting inside and out for two whole days while he had his fucking head in the clouds. Thinking Reed was with Blaine was the dumbest thing he could have possibly thought during this. And Blaine knew the entire time. As much as he wanted to be mad at Blaine for knowing, he knew he should have been able to figure it out without being told. He failed spectacularly at being a good boyfriend. He even failed at being a good friend.

He started sobbing, nose running and words shaky. "I shouldn't have left you there alone. This is my fault. I should have stayed with you. I should have been there. I could have protected you. I could have stopped it. I'm so sorry, please…" He trailed off, crying harder.

Reed peeked up from behind his knees, eyes bloodshot and swollen. He felt horrible seeing Shane look so devastated. He was scared and embarrassed but he couldn't take hearing Shane blame himself so much. He wanted to reach out and hold one of Shane's hands but his arms remained frozen. "It's not your fault, Shane," he whispered, but before he could continue Shane had looked up and was doing just what Reed had been too afraid to do.

He grabbed Reed's hands, pulling them from where they were still digging into his arms, and held them in his own gently. He looked into Reed's eyes directly, both pairs still misty and red. This time his voice was clear when he spoke. "I would never let anyone hurt you like that. I would rather it be me."

That didn't make Reed feel better. His face scrunched up slightly. "I wouldn't," he whispered, Shane barely hearing it.

He didn't even stop to think about what he was doing or if Reed would be okay with it. He lunged forward and immediately wrapped his arms around Reed, holding onto him tightly. One hand made its way into strawberry curls as he rocked the body in his arms slowly. He never stopped whispering "I'm sorry" into his ear.

Reed didn't even flinch when Shane hugged him. He only collapsed into his arms like he was too tried to hold himself up any longer. He began crying again when Shane started his soft whispering. He wanted to tell Shane there was nothing for him to be sorry for but he couldn't find the words.

Blaine looked away from them, feeling too heartbroken to continue watching, just in time to see Wes and David, who had been so eerily quiet the whole time he had forgotten they were there, tear out of the door. If anyone else noticed, they didn't show it. Kurt had gone back to holding his face in his hands, no doubt crying once more. Dwight was looking entirely too vindictive for Blaine's comfort. The twins were just staring at each other, probably having a silent conversation, with the same calm faces that hadn't changed once.

Blaine gave Kurt one last rub on the back before he was up and following the other two out the door. They were at the end of the hall, just about to descend down the stairs when Blaine spotted them.

"Hey!" he called but it didn't slow them down. In the next instant he was running. They were already half way down when he caught up. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Wes spun around angrily when Blaine laid a hand on his shoulder. "What do you think?!"

David sounded just as furious as Wes did. "We're not going to just sit in that room and listen to Reed cry anymore!"

This caused Blaine's expression to flicker into anger as well. "Then what are you going to do? What's your grand plan?! Go out and interview everyone who goes to this school with dark blonde hair and brown eyes?!"

Wes and David looked at each other once.

"No," Wes scoffed. "He'll have to be tall and thin, too."

They started to turn away again when Blaine grabbed a shoulder each. "No! Not only is that dumb but on what planet would that work?!"

David shook the hand off. "Well if we can't find out who did it right now we're sure as shit going to report it so we can soon."

With that they were turned back around. Blaine's eyes widened just barely. "You can't!"

"And why not?!" Wes shouted without looking over his shoulder. Someone hurt his friend, he wasn't going to sit around and do nothing.

Blaine followed them hastily. "You'll be betraying Reed's trust! He has to make the decision!"

"Yeah and you heard him! He's not telling. You might have been able to keep it hidden for two days but we can't. We won't. He needs help." David said as they neared the first floor.

Blaine tried to ignore his guilt. "You don't understand! You can't do this to him!" That caused them to slow down. Blaine stopped in his tracks in hope they would follow in suit. He lowered his voice, pleading with them. "He was already hurt against his will once. Don't do it to him again."

They froze, remaining standing there for a long couple of seconds. Finally, they turned around together, looking at other only once. "Fine." David spoke calmly. "We'll go back and talk to him."

"But," Wes was quick to interject. "If it doesn't work we're doing something. I'm not letting some bastard get away with this."

"I completely agree," Blaine said honestly. He wished he could tell them that he'd been begging Reed constantly to see reason. He was almost positive this wouldn't work. But he was just as positive that no one in that room would be satisfied with pretending this never happened. They'd want justice, they'd want Reed to get help, even if he didn't want it himself. Either way, after today, there would be no more hiding it. After today, things were going to change.

* * *

><p>Upon reentering the room, Blaine found everyone in the exact same position. Apparently no one had heard their fight. He returned to his seat next to Kurt but Wes and David lingered around where Shane and Reed were huddled on the floor, both still crying.<p>

"Reed," Wes spoke with a lot more tenderness than he had out in the hall.

Reed glanced up at them but Shane's arms only tightened their hold.

Wes knelt down to his eye level. "Reed, you know you need to report this." Instantly, Reed's face was hidden in Shane's chest once more. "Not just so this bastard can get caught and pay for what he did, but for your health too."

"Have you even been to a doctor yet?" David asked in a soft tone.

Reed's loud sob was answer enough.

"You need to make sure you're okay, you-"

"I'm fine!" Reed shouted in the grief stricken voice. It was too easy to see through.

At that Shane leaned back, trying to get a good look into Reed's eyes. "Reed, baby, you are clearly not fine," he choked out. Reed's grip on Shane tightened. His didn't reply.

"Please, just tell a counselor or something. Please Reed. We can't handle this by ourselves," Wes added.

Reed's sobs grew louder and he shook uncontrollably in Shane's arms. "I can't! He'll kill me! Or he'll do it again!"

Wes' eyes darkened. "Do you honestly think any one of us is going to let that happen?"

Shane unconsciously held on tighter. His voice was clear and deep. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again, okay? Ever."

Knowing full well of what everyone in this room was capable of, Reed tried to believe them. He knew they could make up one hell of a protection force, but that didn't stop him from being so scared. It wasn't only the threat that scared him into silence, it was also the thought of telling so many people, of having everyone know what happened to him and how weak he was. And the thought of seeing a doctor made him want to die. So he couldn't let their words comfort him. There was so much more that they, including Shane, couldn't protect him from.

He remained silent. They could try, but they weren't going to convince him. Not right now.

Shane seemed to sense from his silence that they were getting nowhere. "Can I have a second alone with Reed, please."

No one seemed to protest too much, all eager to take a break from the heavy atmosphere and in favor of fresh air. They all filtered out slowly, walking somewhat trancelike, as if their minds were, predictably, somewhere else. Wes gave Reed's shoulder a squeeze, which was met with a flinch, before standing up and following the rest.

Once the door shut and the room was quiet once more, Shane hugged Reed one last time before sitting him upright so they could be properly face to face. He kept his hands in his own, gently moving his thumbs back and forth.

To his surprise Reed spoke first, voice quiet but resolved. "If you're going to try to convince me to see someone or report it you might as well stop right now. It's not going to happen."

Shane tried to hide his frown. "But why not? I _promise _you nothing will happen to you. I'll make sure of that, I swear."

Reed shuffled nervously, wiping his sticky cheeks. "I know," he mumbled. "But it's not just that." He felt awkward and uncomfortable. This was the first time he was alone with Shane since he knew the truth. It was frightening.

The grip on his hands tightened. "Then what is it?" His voice was so calm and patient.

Reed gulped. He didn't want to tell him the truth. But then again it felt so… relieving not having to lie to him anymore, not to be constantly terrified that he'd find out and how he'd react once he did. He was still scared about the last part though. "I c-can't tell all those people." He closed his eyes. "I wouldn't be able to handle everyone knowing."

Shane bit the inside of his lip, saying nothing. He could understand that, but he also remembered what Blaine had told him out in the hall. He was soon whispering. "That's why you didn't tell us either, isn't it? Why you didn't tell me." He could barely get the next part out it was so absurd. "You thought I'd hate you."

Reed's eyes remained closed, he couldn't look into his face. He could tell how hurt Shane was from that accusation. Instead he only breathed out, "Yes."

Resisting the urge to hold onto him tightly again, Shane laced their fingers together. "I could never hate you. I love you. So much. You don't ever have to worry about me hating you, especially over this. It wasn't your fault, Reed. You don't have to feel scared or ashamed to tell people or ask for help." Reed's chest started shaking with the force of the sobs he tried to hold back. "Please, please report it. He deserves to pay for this, and you deserve closure."

Reed's eyes finally opened, allowing more tears to spill down his cheeks. "You don't get it," he managed to choke out. "That won't give me closure, that will make everything worse."

Shane sucked in a breath, but made no retort.

"I can't tell anyone. I can't do it. Please," his face contorted into an expression of intense pain. "Please don't make me."

The last sentence was nothing more than a whisper but it still shattered Shane's heart. He knew Reed needed to see a doctor as soon as possible, but he also knew, with what happened to him, he wouldn't be _'making' _Reed do anything. His choice of words there really made Shane feel awful, like he had been forcing Reed to do something he didn't want to do this entire time. He would never do something like that. He wasn't like that bastard who hurt him.

Shane inhaled slowly. "I'm not going to make you do anything. I just don't want you to be in pain."

Reed almost laughed, instead his face crumbled. "I don't think that will change no matter who I do or don't tell."

The words sent a wave of anguish as sharp as knife throughout Shane's entire body. He felt his throat tighten and eyes sting once more. He was hit with the realization that he was completely helpless here. There was nothing he could do to take Reed's pain away, nothing he could do to make him feel better. There was no quick fix to this, and maybe no fix to it at all. He swallowed the lump away and tried to find his voice again. He may have been helpless but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. "You said he cut you." He could hardly speak calmly, the thought made him furious. "Can I see it?"

If he wouldn't go to a doctor right now at least Shane could make sure his injuries weren't life threatening.

Reed wanted to say no, but he had shown Blaine without incident (unless you count shaking and crying.) And he knew Shane would be so worried, especially since he lied to him about everything. But mostly, the thing that made him start slowly unbuttoning his cardigan was the fact that this had at least distracted Shane enough to where he had stopped trying to convince Reed to tell someone.

His hands trembled as they undid each button and pulled the soft fabric from his arms. He was left in his white button down, but he didn't move to unbutton it as well. Instead he rolled the sleeves back, revealing the white bandages wrapped around each of his wrists.

Shane took one in his hand silently, trying to remain calm enough to speak. "Who bandaged it for you?"

Reed's answer was hushed. "Blaine."

Of course. That would explain their frequent trips to the bathroom together. Shane could say he now sincerely wished they were actually cheating if it meant this would have never happened.

"What's under them?" he asked, resisting the urge to take the bandage off and see for himself.

"Welts and chaffing," Reed replied, trying not to picture why. It was hopeless though. He knew Shane would ask, so he wasn't at all surprised when he heard, "From what?"

He gulped, looking down to avoid Shane's eyes, even though they were still trained on his wrists. "M-my belt."

He could hear the confusion in Shane's voice when he asked, "What?"

Reed bit his lip, still refusing to look up. "It was tied around them."

Shane's face fell into a neutral expression. Inside he was raging, but his face showed no sign. Only his eyes were on fire. He forced his voice to level out. "What else?"

Reed closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew it was unavoidable, but that didn't mean he was any less nervous to be taking his shirt off in front of someone, even if it was Shane who would never hurt him.

Taking the undershirt took longer, but Shane never even moved. He stayed passively calm, not daring to rush him. He knew it was hard.

Finally Reed had all the buttons undone. Instead of taking the shirt off, he only opened it. But Shane had no time to consider why. A gasp washed the words right out of his mouth.

Right above his belly button, there was a large purple spot, a bruise that looked fresh and painful. But that wasn't all. There was a large cut right above his hip, long and tender looking. Shane's calm expression crumpled as he took it in. He didn't like seeing Reed hurt under any circumstances, but this was worse. He had to know, "Why?"

Reed's lip started to quiver. He appeared to be on the verge of tears again. A hiccup before he spoke confirmed this. "I tried to get away."

Shane could feel his own tears return. The pain in Reed's voice was evident and Shane had never felt so helpless. He choked down his tears, taking a second to collect himself before he spoke again. "What else?"

Reed was afraid he would ask. He said nothing as his slowly slid the shirt off his shoulders and onto the floor. He tried not to feel scared, and just sat there staring at the ground and ignoring the feel of the air on his previously clothed skin.

Shane looked around for something out of the ordinary, but everything on his upper arms and shoulders appeared fine. "What is it?" he finally asked in a soft voice.

Reed didn't look up. "My back."

He made no move to turn around so Shane quickly sat up, crawling his way to the short distance behind Reed's body. He froze on his knees the second his back came into view. Words dissolved from both his mouth and his mind. He couldn't think or breathe.

The numerous welts and bruises left him gasping and feeling the tears spill out of his eyes once again. As if on its own, his hand started to reach out, only to freeze right about one of the inch wide welts. He stuttered for several seconds before asking in a watery voice, "What happened?"

Reed only offered, "My belt," as an answer.

Shane finally closed his mouth, lips shaking as he took in the rest of his back. The bruises were small but the welts were big and plentiful. He could tell even now, that they once looked worse.

"How?" The word was broken as he was crying a considerable amount again. He couldn't comprehend how anyone could hit Reed with something hard enough to leave marks like this. But then again there were a lot of things he couldn't comprehend about this situation.

"It…" Reed choked. He didn't want to think about it. "It was after. When he said he'd kill me."

Shane clenched his jaw. He wanted to get his hands on this mother fucker so bad he was starting to see red. His voice reflected this feeling. "He's not going to fucking touch you again."

Reed only let out a sob. He should be comforted by that, but he just hated how bad he was making Shane feel. Everything was his fault. He was causing everyone pain.

Shane finally lowered his hand onto Reed's shoulder, caressing it ever so gently. He finally tore his gaze away from Reed's battered back, falling back in front of him, trying to compose his face. He looked like he wanted to remain calm but was failing miserably. His lips still shook and tears still fell. He reached for Reed's undershirt and slowly helped his arms back into it. He buttoned it back up all without saying a single word. Reed watched Shane do this with swimming eyes.

It was too much for him to take. He burst back into sobs, gasping between cries. "I'm so sorry, Shane."

Shane looked up in confusion. "Why?" His voice was quiet compared to Reed's hysterical one.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. Or any of them. I wish I could have hid it better."

Shane's face turned hard. "You have anything to be sorry for, Reed. And you didn't need to hide anything. We just want to help you. You mean so much to us. You mean so much to me."

Reed just sobbed, feeling worse.

Shane wrapped him up in his arms again, this time mindful of what he now knew to be on his back. Again he was whispering while Reed cried. "Shhhh." "It's okay." "I love you." "You mean everything to me." "I'll always love you."

Reed would have replied, but the tears were too thick for him to speak. He could hardly breathe. He loved Shane too, but that only made it hurt more. He would never stop feeling responsible for bringing Shane such pain.

Meanwhile Shane was thinking the exact same thing. He knew Reed told him to leave that day, but if he would have only stayed with him in that room none of this would have happened. He could have stopped it, protected him, but no. Shane left him alone knowing there was no one else in that building. And then he let Reed suffer silently for nearly three days, all the while he was accusing him of _cheating_ on him. He was a terrible excuse for a boyfriend, and a terrible excuse for a human being. He didn't deserve Reed.

But as the smaller boy cried in his arms, Reed knew that he didn't deserve Shane. Shane who was too caring and understanding and loving deserved someone who wasn't so much trouble and someone who didn't constantly get hurt. Or taken advantage of. He didn't deserve love. Shane was too good for him.

But that didn't stop him from holding onto him tightly as he cried. He selfishly soaked up how safe Shane made him feel, even though he knew he didn't deserve to.

* * *

><p>Outside in the hall the others waited not so patiently. Kurt still crying, Blaine still drowning in his guilt, the twins still looking unnervingly expressionless, and Wes, David, and Dwight still not attempting to hide their anger.<p>

No one tried to break the intense silence for a couple of long minutes.

Finally Kurt was tired of sitting there anxiously. "We have to do something," he whispered, afraid to be too loud in Windsor's usually quiet hall.

"You mean if Shane can't convince him to get help?" David asked. Kurt nodded solemnly.

David nodded his approval. "Of course we do."

Wes sighed. "But what if he refuses? I don't want to make him do something he doesn't want to do."

No one knew how to answer. They were all worried about that as well, trying in vain to come up with a solution.

"Well first thing is first," Evan began, speaking so uncharacteristically slow and roughly. "We find out who did this." Ethan nodded in agreement. "And then-"

Before he could finish, Dwight interrupted. "We teach him a lesson."

The twins nodded before speaking in unison. "Exactly."

Kurt watched them with unease. Whatever those three were planning, he doubted it was legal. Now that he thought about it, maybe it was better that Reed didn't go to the cops, that way no one could link them to this guy's murder.

And as much as he knew whatever they were thinking, murder or not, would be bad and all sorts of wrong, he couldn't help but feel like no matter what it was, for once he would probably just look the other way.


End file.
